by Geoff Fox
A structure fire on Saturday morning, November 8, destroyed a residence along East Main Street in Hancock and temporarily entrapped one of the occupants.
photo courtesy of Zachary Sipe.
The emergency call came in at 11:42 a.m. Saturday morning for a fire of a two-story, single-family residence at 140 East Main Street, the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office said in a release.
The two-alarm fire drew response from 86 firefighters from Hancock, Clear Spring, Funkstown, Williamsport, Halfway, Long Meadow, Berkeley Springs, and Great Cacapon, plus EMS units from Berkeley Springs, Clear Spring, and Williamsport responding.
It took firefighters around 80 minutes to get the fire under control.
Hancock Deputy Fire Chief Ben Hoopengardner said one occupant was rescued with a ground ladder when Engine 51 arrived on scene.
Hoopengarder said the response time for Engine 51 was one minute after dispatch.
In total eight occupants were displaced due to the fire.
The Fire Marshal’s Office said the fire was discovered by the owners of the house. It was determined to be accidental, caused by “common combustibles on the stovetop” in the kitchen.
The fire caused $130,000 in damages — $100,000 to the structure and $30,000 to contents.
No smoke alarms were present, the Fire Marshal’s report said.
Fire officials said no injuries were reported and the American Red Cross is providing assistance to the occupants.
Due to the fire, Main Street was closed for four hours, Hoopengardner said.
A GoFund Me fundraiser has been started for the family that has been displaced by the blaze.
