Fire damages Greensburg home; residents get out unharmed

Greensburg officials said a late morning blaze Saturday at a home on South Maple Avenue was caused by an overload of electrical appliances.

Both residents of the two-story family home were able to escape the fire, which was reported shortly before noon and was quickly extinguished, Greensburg fire Chief Tom Bell said.

“Everyone got out of the house,” Bell said. “There was smoke coming out of the second-floor window. There were no injuries, and we had the fire out almost immediately after we got here.”

Bell said an initial investigation determined the cause of the fire was accidental. Three appliances, including a refrigerator, had been plugged into the same electrical outlet, he said.

Homeowner Megan Lupher said has lived in the house for about 20 years. She was downstairs when the fire started.

“I’m still kind of stunned,” Lupher said.

She said the fire started in her housemate’s bedroom.

Bell said damage was confined mostly to the upstairs bedroom. but that Lupher and her housemate will not be permitted to immediately return to the structure.

Departments from Carbon and Southwest Greensburg also responded to the fire scene, according to a supervisor at Westmoreland County’s Department of Public Safety.