Jan 21, 2024 By Jon Andreassi 2 min read

A family of four from North Franklin Township was displaced Friday morning after their home was destroyed by a fire.

Dave Bane, chief of the North Franklin Township Fire Department, said firefighters were dispatched at 3:22 a.m. to 1078 Ellwood Lane.

“When I got there, I had fire through the roof and out the front door, front windows,” Bane said.

There were two adults and two children inside when the fire started, but all four and a dog were able to make it outside uninjured.

Bane said crews initially struggled to get water on the fire because of the home’s long driveway, and that they had to run 1,700 feet of fire hose up to the house.

“It was a little bit of a battle to get the water established,” Bane said. “It took us a few minutes to get the water going. Once we got a good water supply going, we had to do an exterior attack. The roof was starting to collapse. The floor collapsed as well.”

Firefighters were on scene until shortly after 9:40 a.m., mostly due to hot spots inside that continued to flare up.

Washington County property records indicate the home is owned by David and S. Dolanch Harris.

A GoFundMe called “Help for the Harris Family” has been established to help raise money for the family displaced by the fire. The American Red Cross was called, but it was not immediately clear if they were assisting the family.

“Someone had come to pick them up pretty quick, and I didn’t get a real good conversation with them,” Bane said.

Assisting with the fire were departments from South Strabane, South Franklin, Canton and Amwell townships. The state police fire marshal is investigating.