MUNCY – A mother and daughter safely escaped their burning home late Monday night, April 16 when flames erupted at 77 Port Penn Road, just outside the borough off of Pepper Street.

The daughter was upstairs and discovered the fire about 10:20 p.m., Muncy Area Deputy Chief Scott Delany said, adding that the woman alerted her mother and both fled the two-story structure they rented.

Relatives and the local chapter of the American Red Cross were providing emergency assistance to Catherine Strothers and her daughter, Mikalah Strothers. They rented from Jeanie Folk, of Hughesville, Delany said. No one had fire insurance.

The first emergency responder to arrive on the scene was borough Patrolman Earnest O. Delp III.

“As I got in the area, I could smell it. There was a heavy odor of smoke in the area,” Delp said.

“The mother and daughter, along with their dogs and cats, were already out of the home,” the officer said.

“There was smoke and fire coming from the side of the house,” Delp said.

Volunteer firefighters from Muncy Area, Hughesville, Montoursville, Picture Rocks and Pennsdale responded to the blaze and worked for more than an hour to bring the fire under control.

“It was one of those old, wood plank homes. We had to tear apart the walls in order to reach the fire,” Delany said.

He termed damage to the home as extensive. Firefighters remained on the scene until about 12:30 a.m. There were no injuries.

A state police fire marshal was expected to visit the scene sometime today and try to determine the cause of the fire, which was believed to have started in the wall of the attic stairwell, Delany said.