Two people suffered minor injuries Saturday when they tried to extinguish a fire that eventually caused extensive damage to their historic house along Menk Road.
"The owner tried to put it out himself, but it was too far along," said Upper Burrell Fire Chief Curt Britton.
Britton said Kenneth Nichols, 65, and his wife, Dorothy, 63, were treated for their injuries at Allegheny Valley Hospital.
The Nichols were home when the fire began in the basement of their home at 1115 Menk Road. The alarm came in at 1:17 p.m.
Britton said the cause of the fire appeared to be electrical.
"It started behind the freezer in the basement, in the wall," Britton said.
He said the fire found a channel across the basement and up into a ground floor sun porch on the other side of the house. From there it went up into the sun porch roof and part of the roof above the second floor.
He estimated the damage at about $60,000.
"It's reparable," Britton said of the old, but well-kept, brick farmhouse. "This is probably one of the oldest houses in the township. It's an historic landmark in the township. It's going to need a roof and a lot of interior work."
He said the basement was heavily damaged and there was some fire damage to the first floor other than the sun porch. Britton said the second floor sustained smoke and water damage.
Upper Burrell Fire Lt. Brian Fitch said the Red Cross assisted the Nichols with temporary lodging. Fitch said one firefighter suffered some minor smoke inhalation, but was treated at the scene.
Fitch, who was among the first firefighters at the scene, said it took about 45 minutes to bring the fire under control.
Firefighters and equipment from Washington Township, New Kensington, Arnold, and Lower Burrell joined Upper Burrell in fighting the blaze, Britton said. He estimated about 50 firefighters responded to the scene.
