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By Stacy Wolford
VALLEY INDEPENDENT
Wednesday, October 26, 2005

LONG BRANCH -- An early morning blaze left a Long Branch family homeless and two people hospitalized.

It took firefighters from nine departments and several tanker trucks to help put out the 1:18 a.m. blaze at 467 Mt. Tabor Road.

"It was an intense fire. ... The family is very lucky to have gotten out," said Roscoe Fire Chief Sean Whiten.

The two-story brick home was occupied by Deborah Rohr, her son Nicholas Rohr, 15, Ronald Hunt, and Maria Matz. Matz is Deborah Rohr's mother.

Whiten said Nicholas Rohr, a student at California Area High School, rescued his grandmother from the burning home and then had to run to a neighbor's house to call 911. Whiten said the closest home was about 2,000-feet away - about an 8 to 10 minute walk.

Complicating the situation even more was a lack of water in the rural Long Branch neighborhood. Whiten said they had to get tanker trucks from the Bentleyville, Denbo-Vesta 6, and Washington Township fire departments to provide enough water to douse the flames.

"We couldn't get inside the house and had to tackle it from the outside," Whiten said. "It took about two hours to get it under control."

Southwest Regional Police Ptlm. John P. Loughner also assisted at the scene and said the cause of the fire is still undetermined. State police Fire Marshall Tpr. Thomas Hartley is investigating the fire. Whiten said Hartley will resume his investigation later today after the steam and smoke from the fire settles.

Loughner said both Nicholas Rohr and Ronald Hunt suffered minor burns and were taken by Rostraver/West Newton Emergency Medical Services to Monongahela Valley Hospital. A hospital spokesman said this morning they were both treated and released.

Whiten said Matz needed oxygen and was seen being placed on a stretcher for treatment.

Assisting Roscoe were the Allenport, Bentleyville, California, Charleroi, Denbo-Vesta 6, Fallowfield Township, Stockdale and Washington Township fire departments.

Whiten said the American Red Cross was contacted to help the family.

Pictures submitted by Matt Koceski