Two displaced in Fairview Twp. townhouse fire

Two women escaped injury after careless smoking led to their townhouse catching on fire Monday night in Fairview Township, according to a fire official.

Fairview Township Fire Chief Eric Hawkins said crews were called to a townhouse in the 300 block of Weatherstone Drive about 7:50 p.m. Monday, Aug. 5.

“(Fire) was through the roof already when we got called,” he said. 

Firefighters could see the flames from their station, which Hawkins said is not far from the home.

The chief said the fire caused $90,000 in damage, which includes the home itself and its contents. It is currently uninhabitable, he said.

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“It spread up from the porch up the back of the house into the attic and then burned through the roof," Hawkins said.

He attributed the cause to careless smoking on the back porch.

It took about 30 minutes to get the two-alarm fire under control, according to the chief. He estimated about 60 to 70 firefighters from about 11 or 12 fire services helped battle the blaze.

Most of the fire services that helped were from Cumberland County, he said.

The neighboring townhouses had some light smoke conditions in their attics, but other than that, they were not affected.

Fire walls between the homes helped prevent the blaze from spreading, according to the chief.

“That could’ve been nasty last night if it was a common attic," he said.

Firefighters also saved a cat from the blaze, the chief said. No one was hurt in the fire.

The Red Cross is assisting the two women who were displaced. 

— Reach Christopher Dornblaser at cdornblaser@yorkdispatch.com or on Twitter at @YDDornblaser.