ZELIENOPLE, Pa. — A car fire spread to some townhomes in Zelienople over the weekend.
The damage is so bad that four people are displaced. One couple tells us they were watching a movie when they heard a popping sound and saw flames.
A photo from the Harmony Fire Department shows the intense flames after a car caught fire around 9 p.m. Saturday along Timberbrook Court.
“It was very scary I came downstairs because my dog was sort of acting strange and I came outside,” Maria Hutchison said. “And I saw the fire trucks and all the firemen in the yard.”
The car was engulfed near a garage and the fire spread quickly to the three-story townhome above. Then the fire impacted both townhomes next door.
“Bad enough where three or four people are displaced and they are living somewhere else right now,” said Lt. Kevin Mikulan of the Zelienople Police Dept.
There were no injuries. Zelienople Police said a lithium battery car jump starter may have started the fire. But, police say there’s also a recall on the vehicle, a Hyundai Santa Fe, for fire risk due to a faulty trailer hitch module.
A neighbor said she knows one of the people displaced and feels terrible.
“It’s sad I feel sorry for the people that are displaced because it’s hard to find a place in Zelienople, I’ve lived here for 20 years,” Hutchison said.
This is the second time in two years a car fire damaged townhomes along Timberbrook Court.
Back in 2023, a car caught fire in a driveway and the flames jumped to a row of townhomes, impacting six families.
“It’s sort of unusual that we had two car explosions in the neighborhood so close together,” Hutchison said.
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