Ephrata house fire cause remains unknown

EPHRATA - Investigators settled on an area of origin inside an Ephrata family's home destroyed by fire Monday, but don't have a definitive cause.

The investigation focused on the back of the home's garage, leading to the laundry room and kitchen of the residence, located at 206 H St. N.E., Ephrata Fire Chief Jeremy Burns said Thursday.

The Ephrata Fire Department's investigation was called off Wednesday because of safety conditions inside the garage and house. It's unusual, Burns said, for the cause of a residential fire to remain undetermined.

"In this case there's a lot of destruction. It was even hard to tell what was an electrical switch, a light switch, versus an electrical outlet," Burns said. "The (electrical) panel, something we always look at, received so much fire damage we couldn't tell what breaker was on and what breaker was off, unfortunately."

The homeowner's insurance company may investigate further, using an electrical consultant, the fire chief said.

Joseph Scroggins, the homeowner, lived at the H Street residence with his wife, their 15-year-old son and one of the boy's friends, also 15.

The residents weren't home when the blaze started, Burns said. A neighbor reported the fire to authorities shortly before 3 p.m.

One of the family's three dogs was killed in the blaze.

Firefighters from Ephrata, Grant County Fire Districts No. 3 and No. 13 battled the fire for nearly 30 minutes.

No injuries were reported.

Burns said some walls remain standing in the home, but the interior must be completely gutted if the home is salvaged. A camper parked on the side of the home was completely destroyed by the fire.

Authorities turned the residence over to the home owner and his insurance company. A security fence is now surrounding the home.

"We like to have the cause," Burns said. "But for right now, it's just going to be unknown."