It’s been seven weeks since a devastating two-alarm fire on Wade Avenue in Lansdale Borough killed two pets and left a family displaced just days before Christmas, but investigators are no closer to determining what caused the blaze.
In fact, the cause will likely never be determined.
In a follow up phone interview with North Penn Now, Lansdale Fire Marshal Rick Lesniak said the cause of the fire has officially been listed as undetermined, due to safety concerns. Lesniak said the fire had caused so much damage to the home that simply entering the aftermath posed a significant safety risk to investigators. So, without being able to safely gain access to the remaining structure, they had no way to determine what could have caused the fire.
Crews were initially dispatched to the scene at 1:19 p.m. on Dec. 21. Arriving first responders found a home fully engulphed by fire, with extension to a neighboring property. Smoke from the scene was visible from miles away, according to multiple witnesses.
The owner of the home, who spoke with North Penn Now, said a female occupant of the residence jumped to safety from a second-story window. The female was subsequently taken from the scene via ambulance to a local hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation, according to the homeowner.
Two pets — a cat and a dog — were killed in the fire.
“Due to the intensity of the fire, a second alarm was requested at 1:31 p.m. to bring additional resources to the scene to help prevent the fire from spreading to neighboring dwellings,” said Lesniak. “While an adjacent dwelling was damaged by the fire, the occupants was still able to stay in the house.”
Lesniak said that in addition to the occupant of the home, a member of the Fairmount Fire Company was also injured at the scene and transported via ambulance to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. North Penn Now spoke with the firefighter, who stated that he sustained second-degree burns to a portion of his face. He has since been released.
The fire was officially placed under control at 2:05 p.m., however crews remained on scene until approximately 5:30 p.m.
Fairmount Fire Company was assisted at the scene by members of the Lansdale Borough Police Department, Volunteer Medical Service Corps, Fire Department of Montgomery Township, Colmar Fire Company, Hatfield Fire Company, North Penn Fire Company, Upper Gwynedd Fire Department, Towamencin Fire Company, Worcester Fire Company and other area emergency response teams.
In the aftermath of the fire, the community quickly rallied to provide aid and support to the family, with numerous businesses and organizations holding clothing and donation drives and a GoFundMe page that raised nearly $50,000.
"I don't know where we would be right now without all of the support,” said Kristin Comitale, in a follow up interview in January. "Neighbors that we just used to wave to, they went way out of their way to collect donations, set up drop off points for us. It's unreal. I never want to leave this area, because of the community outreach.”
See also:
Lansdale Family Displaced By Fire Is Grateful For Outpouring of Community Support
1 Person Injured, 2 Pets Believed Dead Following Residential Fire in Lansdale Borough
Photos: Lansdale Family Displaced Following Two-Alarm Fire, Community Support Underway
Diabetic Emergency Possibly Contributed to Fatal Allentown Road Crash, Police Say
Victim Dies Following Last Week’s Crash on Allentown Road in Towamencin
