ARTICLE COURTESY OF THE TOWN & COUNTRY NEWSPAPER & EDITOR LARRY ROEDER
Red Hill firefighters were called to the scene of a vehicle fire in the 600 block of Butternut Court around 1:40 p.m. yesterday. The fire was discovered by the operator of the service van who was working in the home at the time.
The first volunteers on the scene found a service van parked in the driveway of the home, fully involved in flames that were beginning to melt the siding of the dwelling.
Firefighters used a 2-inch hand-line and foam to extinguish the fire. Fire damage was confined to the van and front of the home. The van was totally destroyed and a vehicle parked next to the van also suffered some heat damage. There was minor smoke damage to a bedroom in the front of the house.
According to Montgomery County property records, the house is owned by Paul and Shirley Kulanko who were not home at the time. No injuries were reported.
Red Hill Chief Scott Alderfer estimated the damages to the home to be "at least $5,000." No damage estimate was available for the vehicles.
Alderfer said firefighters "did a heck of a job to keep the fire from spreading further."
Also dispatched to the scene were firefighters and fire police from East Greenville, Pennsburg and Green Lane fire companies. A State Police unit also responded.
Fire police had Butternut Court, from Sixth to Seventh streets, closed for about an hour.