Attic

shappell@herald-mail.com Four Hagerstown residents were displaced Monday by a fire that gutted an attic used for bedrooms in a home near downtown. Hagerstown Fire Department Capt. Russell Grim said a fire in the top floor of 20 East Ave. was reported just after 5:30 p.m. Grim said four people were in the home when the blaze began. Grim said no injuries were reported, and the investigation was still in progress Monday evening. About 25 firefighters contained the fire to two bedrooms in the attic and had the blaze under control in less than 30 minutes.

BIG POOL - Bats have been described as gentle, beneficial and necessary, but Kamela Lee of Big Pool sees things differently. cont. from front page The estimated hundreds of bats that live in the attic of her two-story wood house pose a health risk to her two children, and have largely made the house unlivable, she said. The family of four now "eats, sleeps and plays" in the 12-foot-by-12 foot, first-floor living room where blankets and pillows are stacked side-by-side with children's toys and playpens.

Attic destroyed in afternoon fire By RICHARD F. BELISLE / Staff Writer A late-afternoon fire Friday destroyed the attic and damaged the second floor of a stately brick home at 140 N. Grant St., leaving a young family of three, who bought the property two months ago, temporarily homeless. Waynesboro Fire chief Dale Fishack said the cause of the blaze had not been determined. He said the borough fire marshal was looking at electrical malfunction as a possible cause.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Working with authorities from New York City, police from Franklin County and Hagerstown were able to find a fugitive hiding in the attic of a Guilford Township home late Friday and take him into custody. Jovon David Williams, 22, of the Bronx, N.Y., was arrested and placed in the Franklin County Prison shortly after an 11 p.m. search of the home on Guilford Springs Road, police said. His bond was set at $100,000. The charges against Williams in New York involve aggravated assault with a firearm, police said.

gregs@herald-mail.com A woman and her two children were uninjured Friday when a fire damaged the attic of their Smithsburg home. The fire at 13 Maple Ave. started when workers were doing exterior work near the roof of the home, said Chuck Baker, assistant chief of the Smithsburg Volunteer Fire Co. Tyra House, 32, of Smithsburg, and her two children were inside their home when the smoke detectors sounded Friday afternoon. House said she went to the attic, saw smoke, grabbed her children and called 911. Baker said he received the emergency call at 2 p.m. Friday, and more than 30 firefighters responded to the call.

WILLIAMSPORT - Several fire companies responded to a house fire early Saturday at Walnut Point West after the home's occupants smelled smoke, officials said. Williamsport Deputy Fire Chief Fred Cole said the fire, which was reported at 4:15 a.m., was contained to the attic of the single-story ranch home. Insulation was smoldering, which was causing smoke to come out of the roof, he said. When a man who lives in the house woke up to get ready for work, he and his wife, who woke up with him, noticed the smell.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Two fugitives wanted by authorities for allegedly dealing significant amounts of crack cocaine were found Friday hiding in an attic in Hagerstown, according to a U.S. Marshals Service news release. Kyle Justin Coleman, 23, and Tyshee Johnson, 22, of Hagerstown, were wanted on warrants charging them with conspiracy to distribute in excess of 50 grams of crack cocaine and four other counts of distribution of crack cocaine, officials announced. Coleman and Johnson were being sought by the U.S. Marshals Service's Fugitive Task Force in a case investigated by the Eastern Panhandle Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, officials announced.

BARDANE, W.Va. - A fire early Saturday destroyed a home near Bardane, said Ed Smith, chief of the Independent Fire Co. Firefighters from all five volunteer departments in Jefferson County, along with units from Baker Heights and South Berkeley volunteer fire departments and Loudoun County, Va., were dispatched to 144 Elder Lane at 1:11 a.m., Smith said. Smith said a preliminary investigation of the blaze revealed it appeared to begin in the attic of the ranch-style home and quickly spread through blown-in insulation in the 1,000-square foot residence.

The Washington Township (Pa.) Police Department was investigating the cause of a Wednesday afternoon fire in Blue Ridge Summit, Pa. Firefighters from Franklin and Adams counties in Pennsylvania and Washington and Frederick counties in Maryland contained the fire at 12227 Clermont Road to the attic, where it started. Blue Ridge (Pa.) Fire Chief Steve Moffat said the first firefighters on the scene saw smoke coming from the eaves and had trouble finding access to the attic over the two-story stone house.

Fire companies battled a house fire at 13731 Mercersburg Road in Clear Spring early Tuesday. None of the nine residents of the two-story duplex was injured, said Charlie Mundey, deputy chief of the Clear Spring Volunteer Fire Co. Units were called to the fire at 3:41 a.m., a supervisor for Washington County Emergency Services said. Mundey said when firefighters arrived, the attic on one side of the duplex was engulfed in flames. Mundey said the fire was contained by 4:30 a.m. and firefighters left the scene around 7:15 a.m. From the outside, damage could be seen on one side of the two-story home, and two windows were missing.

Blues, Bikes and Backyard BBQ competition is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 27, at M&S Harley-Davidson, 160 Falling Spring Road, Chambersburg, Pa. Registration costs $50. Grand champion chicken and ribs winner will recieve, and other cash prizes will be awarded. Music will be provided by Blues in the Attic from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, call 717-709-9650.

The Washington Township (Pa.) Police Department was investigating the cause of a Wednesday afternoon fire in Blue Ridge Summit, Pa. Firefighters from Franklin and Adams counties in Pennsylvania and Washington and Frederick counties in Maryland contained the fire at 12227 Clermont Road to the attic, where it started. Blue Ridge (Pa.) Fire Chief Steve Moffat said the first firefighters on the scene saw smoke coming from the eaves and had trouble finding access to the attic over the two-story stone house.

A malfunction in a wall-mounted heater caused a fire Sunday that destroyed a model home/office in the Ridges of Tuscarora development off Lost Road, Hedgesville Volunteer Fire Department Chief Mike Nichols said Monday A woman who worked at the home off Soaring Eagle Way suffered first and second-degree burns on her right hand while trying to put the fire out, Nichols said. She was taken to City Hospital in Martinsburg for treatment, Nichols said. A Baker Heights Volunteer Fire Department firefighter also was taken to the emergency room for an ankle injury that Nichols said he did not believe was major at this time.

The Maryland History and Culture Collaborative invites Washington County residents to bring Civil War-era documents for scanning into a state archive. MHCC representatives will have scanning equipment from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17, at Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, City Park, Hagerstown. Area residents are invited to bring letters, diaries, pension materials, photographs, maps, hand-drawn sketches, claims for damage or any other Civil War-era document to be scanned for inclusion in the Maryland Digital Cultural Heritage.

Fire companies battled a house fire at 13731 Mercersburg Road in Clear Spring early Tuesday. None of the nine residents of the two-story duplex was injured, said Charlie Mundey, deputy chief of the Clear Spring Volunteer Fire Co. Units were called to the fire at 3:41 a.m., a supervisor for Washington County Emergency Services said. Mundey said when firefighters arrived, the attic on one side of the duplex was engulfed in flames. Mundey said the fire was contained by 4:30 a.m. and firefighters left the scene around 7:15 a.m. From the outside, damage could be seen on one side of the two-story home, and two windows were missing.

A Waynesboro, Pa., family was displaced by a fire Monday afternoon at 1600 East Main St., Waynesboro Fire Department Lt. John Beck said. The homeowners were home when the fire started at about 1:20 p.m. and escaped safely, Beck said. Firefighters had the fire under control within about 10 minutes of arriving, but remained at the scene until about 4 p.m., he said. The fire appeared to have started on the second floor and might have been electrical in nature, although the cause has not been confirmed, Beck said.

If stuff were money, I'd be rich. Living high. Alas, my stuff is not money. It is clothes, toys, school projects, mementoes, knickknacks and furniture, books and paperwork -  much of it is junk, really. It's not as if my house is visibly cluttered, at least not the living areas. My mind being a topsy-turvy drum of abstract random commotion, I crave order around me. So the main rooms are pretty tidy. The attic and cellar are another story entirely.

Pa. man in stable condition after accidentally shooting self WARFORDSBURG, Pa. — A Warfordsburg-area man was in stable condition at Meritus Medical Center Sunday night after he accidentally shot himself when he tripped and fell, according to Pennsylvania State Police. Michael Frederick Shives Jr., 20, was walking in a field near his home in the 500 block of East Pittman Road around 11:50 a.m. Thursday when he stepped in a hole and tripped, Trooper Garry Ford said Sunday.

HAGERSTOWN -- The Hagerstown Fire Department is investigating the cause of an attic fire that occurred at about 3:05 p.m. Wednesday in a house at 338 N. Cannon Ave. Deputy Fire Chief R.D. Myers said it took firefighters about 10 minutes to knock it down. "We got it out very quickly," he said. A boy who was crying into a blanket was taken away on a stretcher by Community Rescue Service personnel. Myers said no other injuries were reported, but residents of the house said a cat was missing.

There is still time to prepare your home for the hot summer months ahead. You can lower your energy consumption, and possibly your energy bills, by simply maintaining the furnace and air-conditioning filter on a regular basis. A dirty filter restricts airflow through the ducts, which means the fan has to work harder and longer to satisfy the demands of the thermostat. The harder and longer the fan works, the more energy will be wasted. Set a schedule for changing the filter, and place a reminder where you can see it. I use the "free filter change reminder" provided by http://www.