Family of 7 displaced by overnight fire that gutted home in Derry

Jeremiah Thomas bolted awake from a sound sleep early Wednesday by a fire alarm and the smell of smoke in his upstairs bedroom in Derry.

“I looked out the window and could already see the flames shooting out of the house,” Thomas said.

The single father of six children, ages 7 to 18, said his first thought was getting everyone out of the three-story home on the 300 block of North Chestnut Street.

“That was the important thing. We got everyone out,” Thomas said while awaiting an insurance adjuster and looking over the extensive damage caused to the home where his family has lived for 15 years.

Firefighters were on the scene for more than five hours after the call at 3:35 a.m., Derry Fire Chief Josh Campbell said.

“That house has some history. It was built about 1870 for railroad workers to live in,” Campbell said.

A borough policeman was among the first at the scene and helped get family members out, Campbell said.

“He rounded the corner and said it looked like a bonfire,” the chief said.

One firefighter from neighboring Bradenville Volunteer Fire Department in Derry Township suffered a leg injury fighting the blaze and was treated and released at an area hospital, Campbell said.

He said the fire is not believed to be suspicious.

“We stayed on the scene to look it over with the state police fire marshal and we believe it may have been electrical, but we’re waiting for more information before making a final determination,” Campbell said. “The house was pretty solidly built. We believe the fire started in the kitchen area, which is newer, and we contained it to that area and above it.”

The fire was so hot it damaged siding on a few nearby houses and also destroyed the family sports utility vehicle. A damage estimate was not available.

Campbell said the American Red Cross has offered assistance to the Thomas family.

“Right now, we’re going to have to meet with the insurance adjuster and figure out a place to live,” Thomas said.