A person was rescued from the roof of a burning home Wednesday afternoon as firefighters battled a three-alarm fire on Maple Street in Brookville, Jefferson County, leaving the house a total loss and displacing the people who lived there.
The Brookville Fire Department said crews were called to the home just after 12:30 p.m., with dispatch reported at approximately 12:31 p.m. One resident who was home when the fire broke out became trapped and was rescued from the roof by members of the Brookville Municipal Authority.
Homeowner Jamie Kramer described how the rescue happened before firefighters arrived, saying, “Bobie, her name’s B-O-B-I-E Carol was here. She was, she got out. She was on one of the roofs in the back on the lower roofs. The fire company hadn’t got here yet and so she…the borough building Brookville Borough Complex behind us brought a backhoe up and they had her jump in the bucket of the backhoe to get her off the house that was on fire to save her.”
Authorities said a woman sustained minor injuries. The homeowners confirmed that 11 cats died in the fire.
Firefighters worked for more than an hour and contained the blaze around 2 p.m. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Ridgway fire marshal.