Bell Township house fire kills 1 resident, injures 2 others

A 52-year-old man was killed and two others injured in a fire Monday at a home along Route 286 in Bell Township, a state police fire marshal said.

Resident Frank R. Zanavich died in the blaze, according to Westmoreland County Coroner Kenneth A. Bacha. Bacha has not ruled on the cause and manner of the death, pending results of toxicology tests and an autopsy to be performed Tuesday by Dr. Cyril H. Wecht and Pathology Associates.

Zanavich was found in the basement of the home and was pronounced dead at the scene, Bacha said.

Two other people in the home were flown by medical helicopter from the nearby Kiski School in Loyalhanna Township to an area hospital, said Chet Bell, a state police fire marshal.

The house, located about two miles west of Saltsburg, is owned by Bernard A. “Bernie” Zanavich. He lived at the residence with his two sons, Bernie Jr., and Frank, according to neighbor Dana Restori, who knew the family.

Saltsburg Fire Chief John Dice said firefighters rescued the father and a son on the first floor of the residence. The house was filled with smoke when firefighters entered the structure, Dice said.

Firefighters were alerted to the blaze at 9:26 a.m. by a passerby who saw smoke coming from the one-story structure, according to Westmoreland County Public Safety dispatch reports.

The fire was contained quickly, but it caused substantial damage in the basement, Bell said. The cause is being investigated, Bell added.

Restori said he did not see the fire, but noticed smoke pouring out the rear of the house when firefighters arrived.

He has lived across the highway from the Zanaviches for 38 years, and said they are a quiet family.

“They’re good people. I feel really sorry for the family,” Restori said.

Corridoni Funeral Home of Avonmore is in charge of arrangements.

Bell Township Fire Chief Jeff Duffner declined to comment. Other fire departments at the scene included units from Loyalhanna Township and Slickville. Firefighters remained at the scene for more than three hours.