Three people were rescued from the roof of a house early Thursday morning after a fire broke out.
Clintonville Fire Chief Gerry Rea said it was about 1:30 a.m. when crews were sent to a house on Route 8- just south of Barkeyville and north of Harrisville- about one mile from the Butler County line in Venango County.
Flames and heavy smoke were seen coming from the structure.
“Three people were on top of the roof when we arrived,” Rea said. “They were able to get out of the second-story window onto the porch roof.”
Rea says firefighters were able to rescue all three people using a ladder. One was taken to Grove City Hospital for what were believed to be minor injuries. The other two were not hurt.
The home will need to be rebuilt.
“The house itself is a total loss,” Rea said. “But, the house had a three-stall garage attached to it and we were able to fully save the garage and get two vehicles of out there, untouched.”
And, Rea believes the house will be able to be rebuilt on the same site. According to what he was told, the foundation was not hurt and the fire did not burn down to the basement.
“We were fortunate that we were able to save that much of it,” he said.
Fifteen fire departments from four counties were on scene, including several from Butler County. Crews have since been called back to the site twice for concerns of a rekindle.
The fire likely started in the chimney and is not under investigation.
