‘Extreme Hoarding Conditions’ Hamper Firefighting Efforts

Authorities are investigating the cause of a mobile home fire early Wednesday morning in Union Township. Washington County 911 said units were called to Hidden Valley Drive just before six o’clock. Firefighters say the two-alarm fire broke out in the South Park Mobile Estates and neighbors said the smoke was so thick that they couldn’t even tell for sure where it was coming from at first. Firefighters said flames were shooting out of the sides of the house and were also coming out underneath, compromising the floors. And that, they say, was just one of the issues they faced putting out the fire. Fire officials said there were extreme hoarding conditions and crews had a hard time getting in to make entry. They said they had to cut holes in the house from the outside to get inside. A woman inside the home was able to safely escape, but some cats were killed.