DORNSIFE - Four people, including two children, escaped unharmed from their burning home around 1:15 a.m. Thursday.
Frank Dipremo, his girlfriend, Sue Hancock, and her two children, ages 13 and 16, were sleeping when smoke filled their two-story home at 727 State Road between Dornsife and Hunter Station.
Firefighters from Trevorton and Herndon arrived quickly; however, flames had already consumed the house. Power lines became disconnected and the majority of the building had collapsed within 25 minutes of initial dispatch.
The home, which Dipremo rented from Jamie Reed, was a total loss. Dipremo did not have renter's insurance and is being assisted by the Red Cross. It is unclear if Reed had insurance.
Smelled smoke
Dipremo, wearing pajama bottoms while he watched flames leap into the air, said the smell of smoke woke him, but he didn't notice flames until he was outside the house.
"When I woke up the house was smoky," he said. "I called 911 while in the house and getting everyone out."
Herndon Fire Chief Tony Gilligan, who had command, said he saw the glow from the blaze while crossing the green bridge at Dornsife two miles away.
Gilligan said Thursday afternoon the fire is not suspicious. He said it likely started in a wall near the kitchen and is electrical in nature, based on the extent of damage and Dipremo's account of smelling "electrical burning."
State fire investigator Kirk Renn was contacted, but his services may not be needed because the exact cause may be undetermined, Gilligan said.