'A total loss': Firefighters battle blaze at home in Cook

A family was displaced by a fire that destroyed their residence in Cook on Monday morning.

Firefighters worked from about 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to smother the flames that swept through the house, near Hauger-Hood Road.

The cause of the fire appears to be accidental, said Chestnut Ridge Assistant Fire Chief Dan Pribisco. The state police fire marshal will investigate Tuesday morning, he said.

“Everything is basically a total loss,” Pribisco said of the house, which he said belonged to a family of about three or four adults.

The family safely escaped from the home without injuries, he said.

Tanker trucks from Somerset and Westmoreland counties helped supply water to the scene. Several municipalities in the area do not have hydrants available, Pribisco said.

“In our area, with no hydrants, we depend on tankers and rural water movement, and we’re pretty good as far as establishing that once we get on scene,” he said. “We set up fill sites to fill the tankers and then get them back to the scene. It’s different than fighting with fire hydrants sitting there.”

Darlington, Ligonier Borough, Ligonier Township, Waterford, Kecksburg, Saltlick and Normalville fire crews helped extinguish the flames, Pribisco said.

“All these guys do it for free. We’re all volunteers and we’re always looking for help,” he said. “We’re thankful for the employers that let their employees leave to go on fire calls. That’s a big deal.”