CALIFORNIA, Pa. — Firefighters spent hours putting out flames in multiple buildings in Washington County on Saturday.
A Washington County 911 supervisor tells Channel 11 that firefighters were called to Liberty Street in California for the reported fire at 12:14 p.m.
The California fire chief tells Channel 11 that six buildings were involved in the fire. Three of those structures are considered a total loss.
The chief says the blaze was a three-alarm fire, and 14 fire companies responded to help douse the flames.
“This is a generational fire. You don’t get one like this,” said California Volunteer Fire Department Chief Tom Hartley Jr.
No one was hurt in the fire. The fire marshal is investigating the cause.
Four families were displaced. Their belongings could be seen lying amid the destruction.
“I feel terrible for the kids, you know, with school starting, and they’ve already been through a lot,” said Jeff Christner, the brother of one of the homeowners.
Christner’s sister lost everything in the fire. He said they are now determined to help her family get back on their feet.
“If anyone has any clothes, household items or toiletries, we are asking people to message either me or my wife, and we’re going to arrange pick-ups and all that and make sure it gets to them in a timely fashion,” Christner said.
Christner helped set up a GoFundMe to support his family. Click here to donate to his campaign. A separate campaign has been set up to benefit all of the victims. Click here to donate to that campaign.
There is still no word on what caused the fire. The Salvation Army and the Red Cross were on scene helping the four displaced families. Fire crews were quickly rotating as they worked to stay hydrated while fighting the smoke and flames.
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