Cambria County Coroner: One Dead in Pine Street House Fire | News

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A Johnstown man was pronounced dead after firefighters battled a house fire at his Pine Street home early Thursday.

It was one of two house fires in Hornerstown overnight – but at this point there is no indication the incidents were related, said Johnstown Fire Chief Bob Statler.

The first call at 12:46 a.m. sent firefighters to a vacant apartment building on Horner Street, he said.

Statler said a serious fire broke out on the first floor, but crews were able to put it out soon after.

While crews were cleaning up the scene, they were alerted to a second fire a block away in the 700 block of Pine Street just before 2 a.m., he said.

The fire was reported by a family living on the other side of the rental property when they smelled smoke – and firefighters were alerted that a resident was believed to be trapped inside, Statler said.

Firefighters entered the locked apartment and were able to knock down the fire using an internal attack, Statler said.

But a man who appeared to be in his 30s was found dead in a second-floor bedroom, Cambria County Coroner Jeffrey Lees said.

Statler said the cause of the fire remains unknown at this time.

While a state police firefighter is assisting in the investigation, the fatal fire is not being considered suspicious at this time, he added.

The Horner Street fire was a different story, he said.

The first fire occurred in an unoccupied home where utilities, including electricity, had previously been shut off, Statler said.

A firefighter is also working with the Johnstown Fire Department and city detectives to determine where the fire started in the home and what caused it to ignite, he said.

He said it was too early to say when the investigation into both fires will be completed.

“But there is no indication that they are related,” Statler added.

Lees addresses next of kin before revealing the identity of the late Pine Street man.

He said efforts to determine his cause and manner of death remain ongoing and more details will be released following an autopsy Thursday at ForensicDX in Windber.

Check back for more details on this developing story.