SONESTOWN – An elderly woman and her grandson were left homeless last Tuesday afternoon after a fire extensively damaged their home on Michelle Road in Sonestown, according to Muncy Valley Fire Chief Aaron Ledger.

The two, whose names were not available, were staying with relatives, Ledger said,

There were no reports of injuries.

The fire at 65 Michelle Road, appears to have originated in the attic and was discovered by a passerby just after noon, Ledger said.

The passerby stopped and alerted a neighbor, who happened to be the grandmother’s son, Ledger said. As dense smoke poured from the attic, the son quickly alerted his mother to the fire. She safely escaped the house. The grandson was not home at the time, Ledger said.

Once volunteer firefighters arrived on the scene, they immediately put on self-contained breathing apparatus and took hoses through the front door to the attic, Ledger said.

It took nearly 40 minutes to bring the fire under control, Ledger said. He estimated damage to the home to be in excess of $50,000.

In addition to Muncy Valley, firefighters from Laporte, Eagles Mere, Picture Rocks and Dushore, responded to the fire. The cause remained under investigation, but it did not appear suspicious, Ledger said.