Fire Marshal: Cause of Rofo Fire Undetermined

According to Royersford Fire Marshal Harry Van Horn, the cause of the on Wednesday afternoon at 724 Walnut St. is still unknown.

"At this time, we have a half-double," Van Horn said of the house. "The fire originated on the back porch and compromised the kitchen and a small room located on the other side of the back porch. There's no electric to the back porch. So, we don't have an ignition source. Right now, it's undetermined."

There were reports of "several explosions" by The Pottstown Mercury, during the fire. Van Horn explained that aerosol spray paint cans were located in the back porch area. Van Horn said the heat of the fire caused the cans to explode, along with a one-pint gas tank that was connected to a gasoline engine underneath the flooring of the porch.

Van Horn confirmed there were no injuries to report, as only one woman was inside of the dwelling at the time of the fire. She made it out safely with the help of the neighbor. The Mercury said six dogs were inside the house, but also made it out safely. According to Van Horn, three people normally reside in the home.

Overall, Van Horn did not come up with any evidence for the fire.

"There's really not any evidence of any foul play at this time, or an ignition source," he said. "The fire burnt with such intense heat that it damaged the siding on this house, which is 40 feet away. It was a very hot fire. As of this time, unless someone would come forward from the home and might have an idea after things calm down, we don't have a cause."

Van Horn also paid homage to the fire departments involved.

"These firemen deserve a pat on the back because they did a great job cleaning this up," he said. "I've been with the service for the past 23 years and they always do well. They did a good job today - hats off to them."