A child and teenager were killed and another person was sent to the hospital after a fire ripped through a Cambria County home early Wednesday morning.
What officials are calling a “fast-moving” fire engulfed the home in the Moxham section of Johnstown and left two neighboring houses on fire.
“I heard an explosion, ran from my bed in my sound sleep to the front of my house, and all three houses were already on fire that fast,” said witness Brandon Offman.
Johnstown Fire Chief Bob Statler said several crews were called to the 700 block of Highland Avenue around 1:30 Wednesday morning to fight the blaze.
“When crews initially showed up, there was heavy fire coming out of the front of the building. We also had fire into the adjacent residences. At that point, there was really nothing we could do with the initial house,”
Cambria County Coroner Jeff Lees said one person was taken to the hospital after jumping from the second floor to escape the fire, and two others were killed.
“One child was found dead on the second floor. We have a teenager who was pulled from the first floor. It was very difficult to get to that individual because the roof and the second floor collapsed onto the first floor,”
The autopsies for those two individuals were scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, but there’s still no word on their identities, ages, or genders.
The fully engulfed home was demolished by crews due to safety concerns.
Lees said six people lived there, but he doesn’t know how or if they’re related.
That’s something the Johnstown Fire Department and Police Detectives, Coroner’s Office, and Fire Marshall say they’ll include in their investigation.
“The first responders were here momentarily. They did a fabulous job as they usually do,”
Johnstown Police Chief Richard Pritchard said one person in the home was arrested Wednesday morning on outstanding warrants, but we don’t have anymore information at this time.
There’s still no word on what caused this fire, and this case is still under investigation. And no identity on the Victims
