Family Displaced After Fire Destroys Home in Harris Township

A family of five was displaced after a fire destroyed a Harris Township home late Sunday night and early Monday morning.

Boalsburg, Centre Hall and Alpha fire companies were dispatched just before midnight to 607 Smith Lane for a report of smoke and fire in a garage.

When crews arrived on scene, the fire had spread to the attached, early-20th century house, into the attic and roof, Boalsburg Fire Company Chief Van Winter said.

“By time we got there, the garage was completely gone, the whole end of the house was completely off, and the roof line of the house was on fire,” Winter said.

Firefighters battled the blaze for about three hours until it was marked under control around 3 a.m. and remained on scene until nearly 4:30 a.m., Winter said. Pleasant Gap Fire Company also assisted with a tanker, and Centre LifeLink EMS responded to provide firefighter rehab.

The Centre Region Fire Marshal’s office is investigating the cause of the fire.

“I would say, it’s going to be [a total loss],” Winter said. “There is no roof left on it. The garage is completely gone, heavy fire in the second division. The back of the house is gone. There was a motorhome back there; it’s gone. All the equipment in the garage, shop tools, things like that are all destroyed. The house is pretty much a total loss.”

A GoFundMe campaign has been established to assist the residents of the home: Woody and Molly Wilson and their three children. The family, along with their four dogs and a cat, were safe after the fire, but are “staying with family and friends while they figure out what comes next,” according to the fundraiser page.

“The family is facing the heartbreaking reality of losing their home and so much of what was inside it,” organizer Bodhi Spiegel wrote. “In the immediate future, they will need help with temporary housing, clothing, food, toiletries, school and kid essentials, pet supplies, transportation, and the many unexpected costs that come after losing a home.”

Within seven hours on Monday, the GoFundMe had raised more than $11,000 for the Wilsons.

“This fundraiser is being created so friends, family, neighbors, and the State College community have one place to come together and support them,” Spiegel wrote. “Woody and Molly are the kind of people who would never expect to be in this position, but right now they need their community around them.”

To donate, visit gofundme.com/f/support-the-wilson-family-after-a-devastating-fire.