A two-alarm house fire on Woods Lane in Washington Township on Thursday night drew crews from eastern Berks and western Montgomery counties down a one-lane gravel road.
Eastern Berks Fire Department Chief Mike Mutter arrived shortly after the 11:14 p.m. dispatch to find fire and heavy smoke in a bi-level residence down a 700-foot-long driveway off Woods Lane.
He said a woman who was staying with the homeowner was standing outside with a dog, and no one else was home.
The woman told fire officials that she had been cooking before going to bed and woke up because smoke filled the house, Mutter said. The owner of the house was at his place of employment.
Mutter said he immediately struck a second alarm due to the remote location.
“It’s an area where, when we get dispatched for anything, we know it’s not going to be easy to get in and get out of,” he said.
The fire gutted the kitchen, but that was the extent of the structural damage.
The fire mostly burned itself out before crews arrived, he said.
“It was not an intensive fire,” he said. “It was kind of winding itself down. It did most of its damage before we arrived.”
Firefighters laid about 700 feet of supply line, then mounted an interior attack and quickly put out the remaining flames.
Crews from Hereford, Boyertown, Topton and Seisholtsville in Berks and from Pennsburg, Gilbertsville and New Hanover in Montgomery also responded.
Units were on scene for more than two hours. No injuries were reported.
There was heat and smoke damage throughout the home, however. Combined with the need for a new kitchen, Mutter estimated the loss at $100,000.
The home will need significant repairs before it is made inhabitable, Mutter said.
Investigators determined the fire started in the area of the kitchen range, but could not pinpoint a precise cause due to extensive damage.
