Owner vows to rebuild after losing his Upper Burrell mobile home in a blaze

An Upper Burrell couple was left homeless Thursday when fire raced through their mobile home on Amy Lane.

Neither the couple, their pets nor any firefighters were reported to have been injured.

Shortly after Larry Sieff turned on his hot water tank, he saw smoke in his kitchen and found the propane-heated water tank had caught fire.

He was unable to extinguish the blaze, which spread quickly.

However, Sieff got his fiance, their cat and dog out of the trailer in time.

But the speed of the fire decimated his home.

“I will try to rebuild,” said Sieff, 66. “My neighbors are fabulous. They all came out to help.”

A line of more than 20 emergency vehicles responded to the call, which came in about 1:20 p.m.

Upper Burrell Volunteer Fire Company Capt. Kevin Hogan said the mobile home was destroyed along with an attached wood-frame addition.

Upper Burrell firefighters aided by other volunteer fire companies knocked down the blaze in less than a half-hour, he said.

By the time Upper Burrell’s tanker truck was running low on water, Lower Burrell’s Kinloch fire department hooked up to a fire hydrant to team up with the other firefighters to douse the flames.

In addition to Upper Burrell and Kinloch, fire departments on the scene included Lower Burrell No. 3, Markle Volunteer Fire Department in Allegheny Township, Renton and Logans Ferry Heights volunteer fire departments in Plum, and Arnold Volunteer Engine Company No. 2.

Hogan said a state police fire marshal was investigating the fire to make an official determination regarding the cause.