Richland Fire Marshal Rules Treehouse Fire Accidental

A fire that destroyed a treehouse in a remote wooded area of Richland Township on Friday was set accidentally, according to the fire marshal.

Richland Fire Marshal Guy Pedicone said four "youngsters" decided to build a campfire near the base of the tree and it got out of hand, catching the tree and treehouse on fire.

Firefighters doused the fire off Victoria Lane within an hour, said Chief Jim Kelly of the .

Although firefighters originally thought they were responding to a brush fire, they instead found what appeared to be a treehouse or clubhouse, about 15 feet by 15 feet, in flames, Kelly said.

Firefighters used four-wheel-drive vehicles to get to the fire in the woods, according to Kelly.  

Brush trucks carried water to the fire, Kelly said. When they ran out of water, they returned to get water off the engines parked on Victoria Drive.

 assisted with its ATV, making its way to the fire via North Montour Road, Kelly said.

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