A Salem family is homeless after a fire that started in a gas grill on the front porch destroyed their home Sunday night.

Erik and Melissa Strobel and their four children were home at 193 Roosevelt Way when the fire broke out just before 8 p.m. Family members, including a child with a disability, made it out safely, a Westmoreland County Public Safety shift commander said.

As he watched firefighters battle the blaze that destroyed his home, Erik Strobel said the fire began on the front porch, where he had a cookout on a grill. Strobel said he was inside the house when he heard a boom, went outside and saw the flames spreading. The family escaped the house through the back door, Strobel said.

The gas grill ignited the porch and the fire engulfed the two-story house, Forbes Road Chief Bob Rosatti said.

The fire created heavy smoke in the neighborhood, which is near the border of Unity and Hempfield townships. Firefighters continued to battle the flames until 10 p.m. and had to return to extinguish the blaze later in the evening, Rosatti said.

Strobel said he had insurance on the house, which he has owned for nine years.

The family is being helped by the American Red Cross, Rosatti said. A Red Cross spokesperson could not be reached for comment.

Forbes Road firefighters were assisted by units from Crabtree, New Alexander and Latrobe, as well as Murrysville EMS.

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