MILLCREEK — A two-alarm fire destroyed an unoccupied house here early Sunday.
Numerous residents called 911 about 4:30 a.m. reporting the house at 3400 S. 2784 East was on fire.
"When the first engines arrived, there was heavy fire coming from the roof and attic and we called for a second alarm," said Unified Fire Capt. Lee Ascarte.
Firefighters initially tried to go in the home to fight the fire, but were forced to retreat to a defensive mode.
It took crews about 90 minutes to knock the fire down, Ascarte said. Damage was estimated to be between $180,000 and $200,000.
The home had furniture and property in it, but the owners no longer lived there. The house belonged to an elderly couple, Ascarte said. The husband recently passed away and the wife now lived in a care facility.
A cause of the fire was still being investigated, but Ascarte said investigators were leaning toward a possible electrical problem.
The wind wasn't as strong as it had been during the day, he said, which helped firefighters contain the fire to the one structure and not let it spread to neighboring homes.
— Pat Reavy Twitter: DNewsCrimeTeam