Fire crews combat a dwelling fire along Gwin Road in Logan Township on Saturday afternoon. Mirror photo by Nate Powles

A pair of dwelling fires over the weekend left one person dead, several without a home and multiple firefighters injured.

Late Saturday night, firefighters were called to a dwelling fire at 105 E. Fourth Ave., Altoona, where it was reported there was entrapment, with children.

City firefighters arrived on scene about 10:30 p.m. to find three people hanging out of an attic window and a fourth person trapped on the second floor, Fire Chief Adam Free said.

Firefighters were able to rescue the three on the third floor, two of whom were children, he said, adding that those three were flown to “other hospitals for treatment.”

The fourth person died in the fire, the Blair County Coroner’s Office reported.

An autopsy will be conducted early this week to determine the cause of death for 64-year-old Sandra Howard, Coroner Ray S. Benton stated in a news release.

“There was heavy fire in the rear of the second floor when we arrived,” Free said in describing the conditions of the late night blaze that was called in by a passerby.

During the course of the rescue, several firefighters were injured, he reported.

“Five firefighters were transported to UPMC (Saturday) night,” with three of those transported to UPMC Pittsburgh for additional treatment, Free said Sunday.

All have since been released and are expected to make a complete recovery, he said, noting one was treated for burn injuries, two for smoke inhalation and a fourth for dehydration.

The fifth firefighter suffered a concussion when part of the ceiling fell on his head, Free said.

The fire started on the second floor and is under investigation by the state fire marshal as well as the Altoona Fire Department and Altoona Police.

Free estimated the damage at $35,000 to $40,000 and said there was insurance on the single-family home.

The Red Cross was called to assist the family and the Salvation Army supplied hydration for the firefighters, Free said.

All city firefighters were on hand, with off-duty firefighters called in, he said. Logan Township United Fire was also available to assist.

Fire destroys Logan Township home

Early Saturday afternoon, a dwelling fire in Logan Township left one man without his home, but thanks to some “divine” timing, he escaped the blaze without any injuries.

Fire crews responded to 3002 Gwin Road about 1:30 p.m. where Logan Township United Fire Department Chief Rusty Shoenfelt said the fire seemingly began on the right side of the house and moved inward. The wind caused the flames to brush up against the neighboring house, resulting in some exterior heat damage to that home.

According to the elderly occupant’s cousin, who wished to remain anonymous, he regularly passes by the house to make sure his cousin is doing all right as he is not currently in the best health. While he was making his trip over on this occasion, however, he noticed the beginnings of the blaze and acted quickly to save his cousin.

The homeowner does not have much use of his legs, his cousin said, and he typically uses a motorized scooter to get around. His cousin said he had to kick open the door to the house because it was stuck and quickly found his cousin in his chair.

The smoke inside the house made it difficult to see — or breathe — so the cousin could only make it part of the way to the door while carrying the homeowner before running out of breath.

That’s when a pair of Penn State Altoona students stepped in to help.

The cousin said the two students entered the house after crossing the street from campus and rescued the two men from the house as the fire continued to build.

It was “divine intervention” on all accounts, his cousin said, from his arrival at the house in time to pull his cousin out of the fire to the college students entering to save them both. They all escaped unscathed and the homeowner did not require any medical care, according to Shoenfelt.

There was no official assessment of the property damage, but there was severe damage to the home and two vehicles.

In speaking to the homeowner, Shoenfelt said he indicated he wasn’t notified of the blaze by any fire alarms. Shoenfelt said it’s important for residents to check their detectors monthly and swap them out every 10 years, adding that preventative fire safety is crucial to give everyone the best chance of making it out alive in the event of a blaze.

“We encourage people to ensure they have working smoke detectors,” he said.

The homeowner will be staying with relatives and did not require any housing arrangements. The residents of the neighboring house were out of town at the time of the fire, Shoenfelt said.

Logan Township United was joined on scene by Pinecroft Volunteer Fire Company, Lakemont Volunteer Fire Company, Greenwood Volunteer Fire Company and Newburg Volunteer Fire Department. Excelsior Fire Department also arrived on scene to offer their Rapid Intervention Team, which, according to the International Association of Fire Chiefs, acts as a standby search and rescue team in the event of a firefighter getting injured or going missing.

Shoenfelt said about 50 firefighters in total were on hand to combat the blaze, adding that there were no injuries reported.

AMED offered medical assistance and officers with the Altoona and Logan Township police departments were present as well.

Shoenfelt said the state police fire marshal will be investigating the cause of the fire.