Mother and son were killed at their home in Salem County on Sunday morning, when a fire engulfed the two-story structure, tearing down the second floor on the first floor, a fire official said.
Helen W. Staats, 84, and Davd J. Staats, 57, both from Route 819 of 1666, were pronounced dead at the scene at 7:30 am, said the Westmoreland County Coroner. The cause and form of death await the results of the autopsies, the coroner said.
The house 1.6 km north of the Forbes Road fire department was completely engulfed in flames when the first truck arrived on the scene, shortly after receiving the alarm at 12:57 pm, said Forbes Road fire chief Bob Rosatti. The fire exploded through the windows of the wooden structure when they arrived at the site, Rosatti said.
“There was no way we could get someone to come in to fight the fire” and save the victims, said Rosatti. One victim was on the second floor and the other victim on the first floor, the chief said.
A state police firefighter is investigating the cause of the fire, said Rosatti.
Although Route 819 between Route 22 and Greensburg is very busy, Rosatti said that at that time there was little traffic and it was not known how long the fire had been burning.
Salem firefighters were assisted by units in Slickville, Hannastown, Crabtree Greensburg and North Hempfield, as well as by tank trucks from White Valley, Dry Ridge and Lloydsville. Rosatti said the tank trucks transported water from a fire hydrant in the Forbes Road fire department to the fire site.
Firefighters were on site until about 7:30 am, said Rosatti.
Joe Napsha is a staff writer for the Tribune-Review. You can contact Joe at 724-836-5252, [email protected] or via Twitter .