DERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Rhiannon Raeacosky was at work Wednesday morning when she got the call for a fire on Wood Street. She’s a volunteer with Brantlyville Fire Department.
PHOTOS: Emergency crews respond to fire at day care in Westmoreland County
Then she got a text message.
“One of the other firefighters texted me and said, ‘Please tell me that’s not your son’s day care,’ and I said, ‘Yeah, it actually is,’” Raeacosky said.
Her son, who’s nearly 3 years old, was at Dornie and Lori’s House day care, just a few doors away from their own house.
She left work in a panic and raced to Wood Street when she got good news.
“She told me, ‘Calm down, take your time, everybody’s across the street, they’re okay,’” Raeacosky said.
Firefighters said the fire started outside on a side porch just before 11 a.m. Wednesday morning. Neighbors told Channel 11 off-camera that they heard and felt a boom and then saw flames.
Firefighters said they don’t know what caused the boom or the fire.
“We do not yet,” said Deputy Fire Chief Nick Piantine with Derry Township Fire Department. “The fire marshal’s here now, we’re going to be trying to figure that out.”
There were some people inside the home when the fire started, and 10 children at the day care. Everyone got out safely, and no one was hurt.
Crews all around the Derry Township area stayed on scene for hours, working to put out any hot spots.
The fire destroyed the home and day care and damaged a home next door.
Raeacosky is thankful everyone is OK and glad the daycare has done fire drills with the kids.
Piantine echoed that.
“Well, obviously it works,” he said. “The younger you can get them to worry about fire drills, the better.”
Raeacosky said Dornie and Lori’s House Daycare has been a staple in her neighborhood for decades. She said Lori told parents she will continue watching the kids despite the fire.
“I went there when I was a kid, and I’m 32,” Raeacosky said. “Hopefully she rebuilds, and if not, I trust her to watch him right across the street at her house.”
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
©2025 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/XCUXZC2XYZHCRGNNGKFEX6U3LQ.png)
