Pottsville man severely burned in house fire

Nov. 09--POTTSVILLE -- A man was severely burned and his family left homeless after a house fire Thursday at 233 Pierce St. in the city.

Dan Groves, 43, was flown to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest, Allentown, with burns on 50 percent of his body, according to Pottsville Fire Chief James E. Misstishin Sr.

Joe Corson Jr., who lives on Union Street nearby, noticed the smoke from his window and called 911. He then ran behind the house and saw Groves standing outside in blue shorts.

"He was burned up pretty bad. I've never seen burns head to toe like that before," Corson said.

He asked Groves if he could tell him what happened.

"He thinks he fell asleep with a lit cigarette (on the couch)," Corson said.

An on-call spokesperson for LVH said Groves was in critical condition as of Thursday evening.

Only Dan Groves was home at the time of the fire. His wife, Christina, 43, was overcome with emotion after arriving at the scene and had a panic attack; she was taken to a local hospital, Renee Williams, a lead responder with the Tri-County Chapter American Red Cross, said.

In addition to Dan and Christina Groves, their daughters, Jamie Groves, 17, and Alexia Bonacci, 22, were displaced, Williams said. Food, clothing and assistance were provided.

Williams said the home didn't have insurance. The Schuylkill Parcel Locator lists the property owners as Christina Groves and Rose Gagliardi.

Misstishin said there is "heavy fire damage throughout the structure," adding it is a total loss. A monetary amount was not provided. He didn't know if the home had working smoke alarms.

The fire was called in around 1 p.m. as a fire with possible entrapment, although that was not the case. The heavy fire was knocked down in about 20 minutes but took about 90 minutes to be fully contained, Misstishin said. Because of the historically low water pressure on the street, firefighters also used water from Second Street and Howard Avenue.

No firefighters were injured in the fire. At least one pet died, Misstisshin said. Jamie Groves said the family had a dog, cats, two rabbits and two guinea pigs.

Misstishin said the fire was still considered undetermined as of Thursday evening. He was waiting for fire marshall Trooper John F. Burns of the state police at Frackville to arrive at the scene and assist the investigation.

All seven fire companies from Pottsville responded to the fire including Rapid Intervention Teams from Schuylkill Haven and Tamaqua. Fire companies were also brought in to cover the city during the fire.

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