Middleburg, Pa.-- A Monday morning fire destroyed the home of a Reliance Hose Company firefighter and his family, said Middleburg Fire Chief Dwayne "Butch" Hackenberg.
The fire chief said James Mitch was sleeping on a couch on the first floor of his home at 119 North Main Street when he awoke to the smell of smoke just after 7 a.m. Mr. Mitch investigated and discovered that there was a fire in a first-floor room near the rear of the house.
He then ran upstairs to wake up his son, the only other person at home at the time, Chief Hackenberg said. Mr. Mitch and the boy grabbed the family cat and escaped unharmed.
But the fire quickly spread, going up the outside of the home and getting into the attic. Between the fire, heat, smoke and water damage, the home was pretty well destroyed.
"I'm no insurance adjuster, but you're probably looking at replacing the whole house," Chief Hackenberg said.
The fire chief said he believed Mr. Mitch's wife, Rufina, was at work when the fire was discovered. He thought the family had a second child, who also wasn't home at the time of the fire.
North Main Street is Route 104 in Middleburg and that stretch of road was closed for several hours Monday morning while firefighters worked at the scene.
Mr. Mitch said he doesn't know how the fire started and doesn't know if they will be able to rebuild the damage done, however he is thankful his family was not harmed. The Mitch family will stay with relatives and will probably stay in a motel after that with assistance from the Snyder County chapter of the American Red Cross.
A cause of the fire or damage estimate weren't immediately available.
Republished with permission of The Daily Item.
