Tina Blue stood in the cold morning air Monday with a flower-print blanket and her boyfriend's arm wrapped around her shoulders, both providing a small bit of comfort as she watched charred belongings fall from the second story of her home. The fire at 829 W. Middle St. in Penn Township displaced Blue and her three family members, and caused significant damage to their Cape Cod-style house. The cause of the fire and the damage estimate are being determined by the state police fire marshal.
Monday morning started out as ordinary for the family. Blue's boyfriend, Darrell Costley, went to work. She took her two teenage boys to school and then shopped for groceries, she said. But she arrived back home around 9:12 a.m. to a nightmare. "I just came home and saw all the smoke," Blue said. She called 911 as the home she and Costley have owned since 1999 burned. It all seemed unreal and unbelievable, she said, standing with Costley as they watched about 30 firefighters from Penn Township and Hanover Borough finish working on the house, removing blackened clothes and furniture and bringing the couple salvaged items. Through tears and looks of disbelief, the couple said they were still grateful that no one was home when the fire broke out, and that the house is insured. Firefighters arrived at the scene to find heavy smoke coming from the first and second floors, with the worst of it on the second floor, according to Penn Township deputy chief Jason Cromer. The crews attacked the fire from the interior of the house, pulling down the ceiling of the second floor to get to a small enclosed attic, Cromer said. They were able to control the fire within 20 minutes and without complications, he added. "Cold weather makes firefighting difficult, but luckily we're on a very well-cleared street," Cromer said. Despite the cold, there were no water issues to contend with as crews used a 1,000-foot supply hose to reach the closest fire hydrant on West Middle Street. The Greater Hanover and Adams County chapters of the American Red Cross were at the scene to assist the couple and the fire crews, and will continue to provide assistance to the family now that their home is unlivable. Fire crews from Pleasant Hill and New Oxford were on standby for the fire, Cromer said.
Additional Photos by Steve Roth