Crime & Safety
UDPATE: Electrical Problem is Suspected Cause of Ross Township New Year's Eve House Fire
A mother and her son escape unharmed.
An electrical problem in the attic is the suspected cause of a New Year's Eve fire, which heavily damaged a home at 508 Fox Drive in Ross Township. The two occupants, an 82 year-old mother and her 54-year-old son, managed to escape in time.
The fire started shortly after 11 p.m.
"When crews arrived on the scene, there were flames eight to ten feet high shooting through the roof, " said Ross Township Fire Marshal John Reubi. "That fire probably had a half hour start in the attic before the woman inside noticed it."
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The woman and her son ran to neighbors, who called 911. They are staying with relatives today and getting assistance from the Red Cross.
Reubi said despite the timing, less than an hour before midnight on New Year's Eve, volunteer firefighters answered the call en mass.
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“We had plenty of manpower. Even being that the evening that it is, we had a nice turnout of firefighters to take care of and get the fire under control,” said Reubi.
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