Fire Destroys Pike Township Family’s HomeFree Access



A fire on Saturday evening, Nov. 21, destroyed a two-story home at 1350 Cheese House Road in Pike Township.

The house was the residence of Zach and Shannon Martin and their three children, LeRaysville-Pike Fire Chief John Keegan confirmed.

No one was home when the fire broke out.

A Pike Township family was left homeless after a fire destroyed their home on Saturday evening, Nov. 21. Thanks to LeRaysville-Pike Fire Chief John Keegan for the photo.

Shannon Martin said the fire occurred on her son’s sixth birthday. She said her family discovered the fire after going out to dinner that evening with her son’s cousin.

“When we came home, there were no flames showing,” she said.

However, when her husband opened the door to the house to take one of their daughters inside, he saw that the house was filled with smoke.

Shannon Martin reported the fire with a cell phone.

“The firefighters got here so fast,” she said. Nevertheless, by the time they arrived, the house was “gone.”

The fire was reported around 8 p.m. Firefighters began arriving at the scene within a couple of minutes after having been dispatched, Keegan said.

The house is close to LeRaysville, where the fire company’s station is located.

The family “lost everything” in the fire, Keegan said.

None of the family members were injured, he said. The family lost its two dogs and three puppies in the fire.

The fire started accidentally, but the exact cause has not yet been determined, Keegan said.

He explained that when firefighters arrived on scene, the fire was too extensive to determine the cause.

The Martins have fire insurance on the house.

Members of the community who wish to donate clothing to the family can drop it off at the home of Annette and J.B. Martin, who are Zach Martin’s father and stepmother, at 165 Whitetail Lane in Rome. Donations of clothes can also be dropped off at the property where the fire occurred.

Besides a six-year-old son, Zach and Shannon Martin have a three-year-old daughter and a daughter who is almost two.

Shannon Martin said she and her husband bought the house in May.

The family is staying with relatives.

Besides the LeRaysville-Pike Fire Company, the Herrickville, Rome and Warren Township Fire Companies were also on scene.

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