By St. John Barned-Smith
The Philadelphia Daily News
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Pa. — Longtime state Sen. Stewart Greenleaf and three other people narrowly escaped a fire that ravaged their Montgomery County home early yesterday, authorities said.
A smoke alarm rousted Greenleaf, his wife, Kelly, their son and the son’s girlfriend about 3:15 a.m., according to Upper Moreland Township Fire Marshal Bob Drennen.
“A smoke alarm went off and alerted them to the fire,” Drennen said. “They went downstairs, noticed the fire, and exited the house.”
Greenleaf, a Republican representing parts of Montgomery and Bucks counties, heads the Senate Judiciary Committee. He has served in the state Senate since 1978.
Blasts of wind whipped the fire into an inferno that already had started to consume the house when firefighters arrived at the property, at Terwood and Paper Mill roads near the Huntingdon Valley Country Club.
“Wind was a critical factor,” said Drennen. “The low temperature combined with the high wind created a low wind-chill factor that created challenges fighting the fire.”
More than 125 firefighters battled the blaze, Drennen said.
The wind and fire sent up massive plumes of embers which touched off fires in two nearby fields and “threatened neighboring houses, garages and a large barn,” he said.
As of late yesterday afternoon, firefighters still were monitoring the blaze site and controlling occasional outbreaks in the building’s basement. “Firefighters were continuing to wet down the building,” Drennen said.
It was still too early and dangerous to determine the cause of the blaze, he said.
Attempts to reach Greenleaf were unsuccessful.
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