A Tipton neighborhood was disrupted by a stubborn fire that started in a garage and spread to the home of Jack and Collen Meloy on Clearfield Avenue.
The home is located near the Tipton-Antis Fire Department near the intersection of Bell-Tip Road, past the railroad tracks.
The fire calls for several area departments came in around 11:30 on Sunday morning. In addition to Tipton-Antis, the alarms brought crews from Bellwood, Tyrone, Pinecroft, Lakemont and Bald Eagle to battle the flames which destroyed a garage and a vehicle and did serious damage to the Meloy’s house.
Tipton-Antis Fire Department Lt. Robert Dollar spoke with The Daily Herald this morning and said the fire was ruled “accidental.” He said the state police fire marshal would not be investigating the fire. Dollar said the determination of “accidental” was made after a brief interview with Mr. Meloy.
The homeowner told authorities he was working in the garage when something went wrong. Dollar said Mr. Meloy told officials, “It was a pure accident on his part.”
Dollar said Mr. Meloy was pretty upset and the department may conduct a more extensive interview with him later.
Veta Wolmer who was visiting at a neighbor’s house said she heard an explosion. She said 911 was called and several more explosions were heard a few minutes apart.
Black smoke was seen billowing into the sky after the initial incident in the garage.
Mr. Meloy escaped the fire without injury. His wife was able to get out of the house and was not hurt.
She agreed to speak with The Daily Herald shortly after the fire began but was called away to tend to the needs of her family. Still later, a daughter arrived on the scene and was visibly distraught.
Mrs. Meloy was able to be interviewed later and said she was in the house sewing when the fire started in the garage. She said she was not sure how the fire spread to the house, but did note it was windy.
More than a half-hour into their efforts, the fire engines sirens were activated to alert firefighters to evacuate the house. There were reports the house could collapse. Fire crews were then left with having to battle the blaze from the outside.
Lt. Dollar said the house’s attic had a lot of storage which made efforts to fight the blaze difficult. He said eventually the back part of the roof did collapse and holes were made in the structure to help battle the blaze.
In addition to the garage, the truck, the back of the roof and the attic being destroyed, Dollar said the second floor had fire damage in a back room and extensive water damage. The first floor suffered smoke and water damage. Dollar said there was more than three feet of water in the basement.
One firefighter was seen having some breathing difficulties during the efforts to extinguish the fires.
Lt. Dollar said his department was the last on the scene and they left the area around 5:30 p.m. He said there had not been any rekindling since that time.
Larry Farber of the American Red Cross said his organization would help the Meloys in anyway it could. Later reports said the couple was taken to Altoona to get items they needed. The Red Cross also sent a mass care unit to the scene to serve refreshments to firefighters.
