A house fire in Ralpho Township, PA has claimed the life of Ellen Sosnoski, a beloved field hockey coach at Southern Columbia Area High School and the mother of two young boys. The fire broke out in the duplex where Sosnoski lived early Saturday morning. The first call was at 5:58 a.m.
When firefighters arrived on the scene at 219 Mountain Road 30-foot flames were shooting from the back and roof of the house witnesses told local media. Three people escaped without injury including a friend of Sosnoski’s and two people who lived in the other half of the duplex, at 221 Mountain Road, who woke to the sound of smoke alarms.
Seven fire companies battled the two-alarm blaze which destroyed the home. Sosnoski was found in an upstairs bathroom. Counselors were made available to the field hockey team and others in the district.
Investigators say the fire appears to have started in the kitchen on the first floor.