Feb 5, 2022 2 min read

Several Mon Valley fire departments responded to a blaze at a trailer in Stockdale early Friday morning – the first structure fire in the borough in seven years.

Stockdale Assistant Fire Chief Adam Wilkinson said crews were called to a single-wide trailer at Bow and Walnut streets about 4:30 a.m. Friday.

“There was heavy fire at the front door and the front porch,” Wilkinson said. “The fire spread to the entire inside and underneath the trailer. We were able to get a good knockdown on the initial fire. Then once the other departments arrived, we were able to get it extinguished pretty fast.”

Wilkinson said the fire was under control in about 45 minutes, and crews remained on the scene for about two hours.

“It was the first time we had a structure fire in the town of Stockdale in seven years,” Wilkinson said. “We don’t get very many down our way. Everybody worked together, and it went very smoothly. For something we don’t do often it went well.”

Wilkinson said the female inhabitant of the trailer, as well as her nephew and a dog, were able to escape before firefighters arrived on scene. However, a cat did not make it out of the fire.

The wintry conditions that moved through the area Friday did not cause firefighters too many problems.

“As we were working, it was definitely getting slick out,” Wilkinson said. “The hose lines were getting a little bit cold. The weather hit a little bit later than the fire, so it didn’t affect us too, too bad.”

Other fire companies on the scene included Roscoe, Charleroi, Fallowfield Township, Lock Four and California. Monessen Volunteer Fire Department Hose House No. 2 was on standby.