Mother, 2 young children rescued from Parks house fire

Dec. 19--A mother and her two young children were rescued from their burning home early Thursday morning in Armstrong County.

The fire in the 1600 block of Dime Road in Parks was reported shortly before 5:30 a.m. Firefighters from seven departments battled temperatures in the low teens to put out the fire by 7 a.m.

Paramedics and firefighters got the woman and her two kids, a 5-year-old boy and a 2-year-old girl, out through a second-floor window and down a ladder, Vandergrift No. 1 fire Chief Randy Dunmire said.

The children's father had left for work when the fire broke out, he said.

Dunmire said the woman and children, who sought shelter in a bedroom waiting for help, suffered from smoke inhalation.

They were conscious and alert when taken to nearby medical helicopters, which flew them to UPMC Mercy hospital in Pittsburgh. The kids were taken together in one; the mother was in another, Dunmire said.

"Smoke contains a lot of deadly chemicals," Dunmire said, explaining why they were flown to the hospital. "Smoke can be progressive. Carbon monoxide is a big factor -- it displaces oxygen."

Shortly after 11 a.m., Dunmire said all three were being released from the hospital.

Dunmire said there was heavy fire near the back door on the first floor of the two-story, single-family residence.

The mother and children were trapped on the second floor and unable to get downstairs because of the heavy smoke, Dunmire said. The mother was the one who called 911.

Dunmire did not know if there were smoke detectors in the house.

A few firefighters fell on ice, but Dunmire said they were not hurt.

The cause of the fire was under investigation, but Dunmire said it appeared to be accidental. A fire marshal was assisting.

Dunmire said there was moderate damage to the first floor of the house and smoke and heat damage on the second floor. He said the house appeared salvageable. Many windows were damaged, but the roof was intact.

Dunmire said the family was in the process of buying the house. He did not know if they had insurance.

The family had a cat, which Dunmire said they saw run from the house.

Dime Road was closed while firefighters worked.

Brian C. Rittmeyer is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Brian at 724-226-4701, [email protected] or via Twitter .

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