Fire destroys Newcastle home

On Thursday morning at roughly 5:33 a.m. the Newcastle Volunteer Fire Department responded to a house fire at 236 E. Warwick St. in Newcastle. The cause of the fire that ravaged the home is still under investigation by the state fire marshal, according to NVFD Chief James Curren. 
According to Gina Lax, she called the fire department at about 5:30 a.m. after being awakened by her doorbell ringing. When she went to investigate she heard ‘popping’ noises, glass breaking and saw black smoke billowing out of the windows of the home, which is two doors down from her home. 
“It took a long time to put it out,” Lax said, reporting that there was one fire truck in the alley and one on the street that remained most of the day. The fire department arrived at approximately 5:45, she said.
“It was definitely scary,” Lax said, adding that she and her neighbors are hoping that the remnants of the home – which appear unsalvageable — will be torn down and removed for the sake of safety.
Curren said the house was completely engulfed by flames, and by 11 a.m. — at least six hours after the fire began — smoke and steam were still pouring out of the building as the crew was still working to put out any hot spots. 
“The guys made a heck of a save.” Curren said talking about how the firefighters were able to keep the blaze from spreading to neighboring houses or trees.
The crew had to first cut four vents into the roof of the house, while the blaze was still burning at its peak so they could get a handle on the flames and put out the fire. The street was mostly blocked off by hoses and fire trucks, but firefighters were able to take care of the fire and open up the street again later in the day. 
More information will become available as the investigation continues.