Update on Tragic Fire at Trent Manor

According to Sgt. Joseph Hallman of the West Norriton Police Department, the fire that destroyed the home at 314 Norris Hall Lane in the Trent Manor development in West Norriton on Feb. 15 and claimed the life of one woman and her pets was smoking related.

West Norriton police, working with the Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshal's office and Montgomery County Detectives determined that an unattended cigarette belonging to the victim, 55-year-old Melissa Mulhatten, was to blame for the blaze that killed her and her four dogs.

The condo fire erupted shortly before 2 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 15. Approximately 70 responders from six companies responded to the 911 call made by a maintenance worker at around 2 p.m. See our video for the maintenance worker's description of the incident.

The townhouse at 314 Norris Hall Lane was destroyed by the fire, and several neighboring units suffered smoke, water and fire damage. The heat from the blaze was intense enough to melt the siding on neighboring homes.

More Loss for the Mulhatten Family

Melissa Mulhatten's son, Tyler Louis Donald Mulhatten, died in State College, PA, on Feb. 25, just 10 days after his mother perished in the Trent Manor fire. He was 19 years old.

According to Tyler's obituary, he graduated from in 2010. While there, he was a member of ROTC and had the highest test score in this area for the preliminary state VoTech Culinary Exam. He worked as a caterer for AI Zone and the Jefferson Country Club.

The cause of Tyler's death is unknown, and previous calls to the Centre County Coroner's Office have produced no additional information. Norristown Patch is still researching the cause of death for the younger Mulhatten and will report as the information becomes available.