Child killed in early morning house fire in Fayette Co.
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP (KDKA) — Fire officials said a boy was found dead inside a Fayette County mobile home after it was destroyed by a fire.
What used to be a mobile home on Hawkins Hollow Road in Springfield Township is now a charred pile of rubble.
"Unfortunately, when the call came in, it came in as entrapment... it was supposed to be three. When we arrived it was fully involved," Normalville Area VFD Chief Mark Bigam said on Tuesday.
Chief Bigam told KDKA a boy died in the fire, which sparked before 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday. Family members told KDKA-TV the boy was 11-year-old Ziylen Thomas.
Officials said two people escaped the home and went to the hospital, but the extent of their injuries is unknown.
Chief Bigam said the death of a child can take a toll on firefighters.
"It's hard to deal with, so we will have to have a discussion about it and see whether we need to get a debriefing on some of them," said Chief Bigam.
According to Pennsylvania State Police, the cause of the victim's death is pending. State police said three dogs were also found dead inside the home.
Firefighters from multiple departments faced challenges as they battled in the fire and frigid temperatures.
"The cold weather and the ice on the road and the trailers up on the hillside and very tough to walk it with all the ice," said Chief Bigam.
This was Chief Bigam and his crew's fourth blaze since Christmas. He said they always persevere through the cold.
"Usually when you're busy like that you don't even notice it, just keeps going... It's whenever we all stop it sets in," he said.
The State Police Fire Marshal Unit reviewed the scorched remnants and is investigating the cause of the fire.