2 dead after house fire in Donora on Christmas Eve
DONORA, Pa. (KDKA) — A man and a woman are dead after a fire in Donora destroyed three homes in the early morning on Christmas Eve, according to the borough's mayor.
Scott Nedrow raced outside to see flames shooting in the sky around 5 a.m. on Sunday after waking up to the sound of sirens and bright, flashing lights. The fire was coming from a yellow home, doors down from his, on McKean Avenue by 11th Street.
"It's a sad, sad day," Nedrow said. "It's not a good way to kick off the holiday season."
Joe Laski was worried and ran over.
"Flames coming out of the roof, about 10 feet," Laski said.
It wasn't long before he watched the fire spread to the two homes next door and saw first responders take a woman out of the yellow house down a ladder.
"They were doing chest compressions on her," Laski said.
Mayor Donnie Pavelko said medics transported her to the hospital, where she died. They also found a man dead in the attic.
The Washington County coroner identified the woman as 41-year-old Tracy Honabarger and the man as 38-year-old Clifford Honabarger. A family member told KDKA-TV that Clifford was Tracy's ex-husband. Tracy's fiancé was also there but survived.
"Luckily, her two children were at their grandparents," Pavelko said.
Pavelko said multiple people are displaced.
"I'm sick about it," Pavleko said. "You can imagine what it would be like to have your house, to be taken out of your house on Christmas Eve. So, they're not doing very good."
However, the community is rallying behind them.
"When a disaster strikes, Mon Valley responds," Pavelko said.
They're grateful, knowing things could have been much worse.
"You have older houses and they packed them so close together because of the need for housing back when the mill first opened up," Pavelko said. "Now, we're paying the price for it."
"You don't have to look very far to see some houses that are in disrepair and could be more likely to be a fire hazard than not," Nedrow said.
It just pains them to see their neighbors hurting this holiday.
"You don't ever want to see fire nowhere, I mean, just this time of year. It's Christmas Eve," Laski said.
Pavelko said firefighters believe the fire started in the back of the yellow home, but an official cause remains under investigation.
The American Red Cross and the Salvation Army are assisting those displaced.
Pavelko said at least eight to 10 neighboring agencies responded. According to Mayor Pavelko, the fire was ruled an accident.