One dead after fire destroys Connellsville house, damages neighboring homes
One person was killed following a fire and explosion Friday morning that destroyed one house in Connellsville and heavily damaged two neighboring homes.
Ronald Veshnesky, 84, was pronounced dead at the scene hours after the fire ripped through his house, according to the Fayette County coroner’s office.
Firefighters were called to Veshnesky’s house at 422 E. Murphy Ave. about 6:15 a.m. and found it on fire, followed by what appeared to be some sort of an explosion inside, according to a Fayette County 911 operator.
At least 10 fire departments were called to the scene to battle the blaze, according to the emergency dispatcher.
Ben Porterfield, who lives down the street on East Murphy Avenue, saw smoke coming from Veshnesky’s house and then heard emergency vehicles heading to the fire shortly after 6 a.m. He watched smoke billow from the house for about 15 minutes and then heard an explosion, which shook his house.
“There was so much smoke and flames I was like, ‘What the (heck) is going on?’ Then I saw the explosion and that’s when I had to make sure my mom was all right,” Porterfield said of the aftershock.
Multiple people were taken by ambulance to area hospitals, including a firefighter. Their conditions and the severity of their injuries were not immediately known.
Several residents in the neighboring homes were displaced due to the fire, and the American Red Cross was at the scene to assist them in finding temporary housing.
The state police fire marshal was called to investigate what caused the blaze, which was not immediately known. It also was unclear what led to the explosion inside the house.