United States (Pennsylvania) - Firefighters from four communities battled for nearly three hours Thursday afternoon to extinguish a fire that smoldered defiantly after crawling into the roof of a home in Industry. The house, sitting on a wooded lot at the end of a gravel lane 100 yards off Engle Road, has been unoccupied since September. It was being remodeled before being offered as a rental, according to the owner.

Tammy Belich, an Ohioville resident who owns the house at 430-C Engle Road, said she visited Thursday morning to collect a bill left by a heating oil delivery person earlier in the week. Shortly after noon, she received a call from a neighbor who saw smoke.

Industry fire chief Chuck Ward said his department received a call at 12:44 p.m. Firefighters from Midland, Ohioville and Vanport Township also responded. At 3:45, firefighters remained on the roof, opening holes and dousing smoke.

"We need to vent the roof to extinguish the hot spots," Ward said.

Ward said the cause of the fire was undetermined. He said he would be meeting with a fire marshal today at the house to search for a source.

Written by Beaver County Times