Investigation Continues Into Cause Of Tall Oaks Lane Fire In Newtown

NEWTOWN TOWNSHIP, PA — Officials continue to investigate the cause of a fire that ripped through a house earlier this month in Newtown Township.

Newtown Township Fire Chief Glenn Forsyth briefed the board of supervisors Wednesday night on the fire, which destroyed a Tall Oaks Lane home on Oct. 8.

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Forsyth said the fire remains under investigation, but it appears to have started outside the building and spread inside. "Unfortunately, the house was a total loss."

Chief Forsyth described the fire scene as a "nightmare" for local firefighters because of limited access and no nearby water supply.

"For those of you who have driven down Tall Oaks, it's a long, narrow gravel road and this was the house all the way at the end with no access to the rear of the property," said the chief.

"We could only get three trucks back to the fire building itself," he said, limiting fire suppression operations.

(Photo by Jeff Goldberg)

Hose line snaking its way down the gravel roadway. (Newtown Fire Rescue)

(Jeff Goldberg)

Trucks from 14 responding companies staged along the narrow gravel road and along a portion of Route 532, which had I be closed to traffic.

Fire officials utilized ATVs to transport needed equipment to the fire scene from Route 532, said the chief.

"The career staff did an excellent job," said the chief, explaining that they had to lay down 1500 feet of hose line to reach the fire scene from Route 532.

"If you drive down that road it's like going back to Newtown 50 or 60 years ago," said the chief. "It's great for the residents who live there but it makes it much tougher for us to do our job. We did get our fire truck back there," he said.

Adding to the complexity of the fire were rooftop solar panels, which collapsed into the house. "They are great for generating electricity, but when they are on fire, it causes another hazard to the firefighters and efforts to extinguish the fire," said the chief.

"It was time-consuming, but it worked out well. We went in service at 1:30 p.m. and were there until 7 p.m.," said the chief. "For the residents, the house is a total loss. For us, we did a good job because the house is still standing," said the chief.

When the chief was asked by Supervisor Elen Snyder what the outcome would have been if the township didn't have a career staff on board, Forsyth said the building would have burned to the ground.