Monessen home destroyed by fire

A GoFundMe account has been set up to aid the family who lived there.

A family of four in Monessen was displaced by a fire that destroyed their home early Thursday morning.

Monessen Municipal Fire Chief Delmar Hepple said he was called to the 1500 block of Jones Street for a porch fire at 2:55 a.m. When Hepple arrived on the scene two minutes later, the blaze began spreading inside the house.

Anthony Dupree said the house was on fire when he was awoken by his daughter around 2:30 a.m.

“My daughter came to my room and said, ‘Daddy, get outside,’” Dupree said. “We came out and sat and watched it burn.”

Along with his daughter, Dupree lives at the residence with his granddaughter and son-in-law. The family was able to escape the burning house unscathed, but they lost most of their belongings.

Crews got the fire under control at 4:12 a.m. Hepple said they contended with heavy winds, which made their containment efforts more difficult and dangerous.

“The wind was just really pushing the fire from one end of the house to the other quickly,” Hepple said. “We normally get a little more time than we had to make an aggressive interior attack. We had no time. I had to pull the guys out within probably 5-10 minutes because it wasn’t safe for them any longer.”

Dupree believes the fire originated in the backyard.

“It must have started in the back because the whole back was burning even before the house caught,” he said.

The state police fire marshal launched an investigation of the fire. Hepple said he and the fire marshal are going to continue investigating throughout the next couple days before they make a determination on the cause of the fire.

Crews from Monessen No.1 and No. 2 were on the scene. Charleroi, Carroll Township, North Belle Vernon, Washington Township and Rostraver Central fire departments and Mon Valley EMS and Rostraver West Newton Emergency Services assisted At the scene.

Around 11:30 a.m., Dupree sifted through the damage and charred remains to retrieve personal items that are still intact. He emerged from the house with his PlayStation 5 and an assortment of video games, which appear to be in good shape.

Dupree said the four of them are staying with family in Charleroi following the devastating fire.

“Now I don’t know what we’re going to do,” Dupree said.

A GoFundMe was created for Dupree and his family. As of press time, it has raised $1,230 of its $6,500 goal.

To donate to the family, go to https://www.gofundme. com/f/help-lorawns-familyrebuild- after-fire.