By Tom Fontaine
The Pittsburgh Tribune Review
WAYENSBURG, Pa. — Two children died in a fire that consumed a house in Waynesburg this morning.
Greene County Deputy Coroner Mary Lewis identified the victims as Noah Havrilesko, 11, and Ava Holbert, 13. Firefighters discovered the boy’s body shortly after 1 p.m. and are still searching through the charred rubble for the body of the girl, Lewis said.
It’s unclear where the children were in the Richhill Street house. The fire destroyed the three-story, wood-frame structure, forcing firefighters to tear down walls and remove the roof to get inside.
Authorities said Stacey Havrilesko, whose age wasn’t given, escaped the flames with her daughters Abbigale, 13, and Anna, 6, by crawling onto a rear porch roof, where Waynesburg Fire Chief Jeff Marshall said a police officer patrolling the neighborhood found them and helped them to safety.
They were treated at a Waynesburg hospital for smoke inhalation and burns, Marshall said.
Authorities believe Holbert spent the weekend at the Havrilesko home visiting her friend Abigail, and the two planned to go to Margaret Bill Miller Middle School together this morning. The fire apparently started around 5 a.m.
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