DORNSIFE - Despite their quick response, all that firefighters were able to salvage from a modular home on Hooflander Road Saturday morning were eight guns and a knife.
The rest of the home, owned by William Whary, of Washington Township, was destroyed, according to Herndon Fire Chief Tony Gilligan, in a fire that started at approximately 7:30 a.m..
Because it was a double wide modular home, Gilligan said firefighters followed a different approach to fighting the blaze.
"Modular homes are a lot more dangerous to fight. Floors are made from particle board and everything is smaller in scale. They just burn hotter and quicker," Gilligan said.
Gilligan said when firefighters arrived on the scene, flames were shooting out the front door and the rear of the house.
"It was pretty much fully involved when we arrived," Gilligan said.
Add to the situation that water to fight the blaze had to be trucked in on tankers and several firefighters were at a training exercise, there was not much that could be done, Gilligan added.
"Because of the light-weight construction, the structure collapsed in the basement and the flames were shooting up from that," he said.
Whary was not home at the time of the fire. He has been staying at his son's home in Maryland while his wife is convalescing at a nursing home.
Gilligan said the fire is believed to have started in the living room, but there may be too much damage to determine an exact cause. State Police Fire Marshal Kirk Renn will be at the scene Monday morning to investigate .
The scene was cleared at 11:30 a.m. Fire crews that responded were Northumberland County crews from Herndon, Dalmatia, Hickory Corners, Klingerstown, Trevorton and Sunbury and crews from Pillow and Berrysburg in Dauphin County.