84-year-old man found dead in rubble of house destroyed by fire in Connellsville; 1 firefighter hurt

CONNELLSVILLE, Pa. — One person is dead after a fire destroyed a house in Connellsville on Friday.

PHOTOS: Fire causes house to collapse in Connellsville

Firefighters were called to the 400 block of East Murphy Avenue at around 6:30 a.m.

The flames caused the house to collapse.

A man who lived in the house was unaccounted for for several hours.

It was a busy morning for Alexis Ansell.

“I think I’ve gone through every single emotion in the book in the last like, 10 hours,” Ansell told Channel 11′s Andrew Havranek.

Ansell’s sister, Alyssa, gave birth to a baby girl at 4 a.m. Friday. Her whole family was there for baby Harper Grace’s arrival at WVU Children’s Hospital.

Harper’s birth may have saved their lives. Ansell’s childhood home — where her parents and sister still live — was badly damaged in a fire Friday morning.

“We wanted her to be here weeks ago so she could be here for Christmas. Her coming a little later, today, was kind of her way of saving us because if she didn’t my parents and my sister would potentially be in the house and who knows if and how they would have got out,” Ansell said.

That fire that destroyed Ansell’s family’s home started at their neighbor’s house.

“The flames were terrible. It was awful,” said Ben Porterfield, who lives a block away.

“I heard the explosion and then I could see flames so high,” he added. “It just went, ‘poof.’”

The house collapsed, and firefighters spent hours digging through the rubble searching for a handicapped man who was trapped inside.

They found the body of 84-year-old Ronald Veshneshky around 1 p.m.

Officials said a woman who lives in the tan house next to the house that caught fire was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation. Several firefighters also got medical care.

“One firefighter was transported to a Pittsburgh hospital with moderate shoulder and neck injuries and several firefighters were treated at the scene and locally,” said Chief Jeffrey Layton of the New Haven Hose Company Fire Department.

Ansell said seeing all of the damage is shocking.  She said her family’s pets are all accounted for. One cat had to get oxygen for a little while but is okay.

Now, her family has a lot of work ahead of them.

“Now we have to not only rejuvenate everything they already lost, but now for a baby! It’s been a lot to think about but he support system we’ve had so far this morning has been absolutely amazing,” Ansell said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. The coroner said an autopsy will be performed.

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