Harris Township Home Destroyed by Fire

A Harris Township home is a total loss after a fire that started late Wednesday night, Boalsburg Fire Company Chief Van Winter said.

Crews were dispatched at 11:46 p.m. on Wednesday to the 700 block of Mountain Road for a report of a fire on a porch. State College police and Boalsburg Fire Company Assistant Chief Greg Alters were first on the scene and found a well-involved blaze.

Residents were at home at the time but got out safely. No injuries were reported.

Firefighters were on the scene until about 4 a.m., Winter said, with a substantial amount of time spent getting hot spots, flareups and smoldering pieces after the fire was knocked down.

“We did an extensive amount of overhaul work on it,” Winter said.

The Centre Region fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire.

Alpha, Centre Hall, Milesburg and Pleasant Gap fire companies also responded to the scene.

Winter thanked an anonymous good Samaritan who showed up to the staging area to deliver bottled drinking water after hearing the call on the scanner.

“They were listening to the scanner and we were calling for water because we only carry so much water to drink,” Winter said. “He heard it on the radio and brought us a case of bottled water to drink. It was pretty cool. I don’t know where he was from… but he just showed up and said ‘I heard you were looking for water.’ It was really impressive for that late in the middle of the night.”