Garage Fire in Kelly Township Draws Multi-Company Response, No Injuries

A home and garage located at 206 Ketchum Lane, Kelly Township, Union County, was heavily damaged by a fire which broke out Sunday afternoon at the property, located just off of Gessner Road. Firefighters from five area companies battled flames that spread from an attached garage into the house, and no injuries were reported.

White Deer Township Volunteer Fire Company Chief Jim Messinger said firefighters were dispatched to the site after receiving reports of a fire inside of a garage, which was attached to a home. Radio traffic and early on-scene reports indicated the blaze may have originated in that garage before spreading to the adjoining living space.

Fire companies named on radio traffic and at the scene included White Deer Township, Mifflinburg, Lewisburg, Milton, and Turbot Township, bringing a multi-company response to the Ketchum Lane address. Images from the scene showed smoke billows from Kelly Township property and responders work on the scene of Sunday’s fire on Ketchum Lane, Kelly Township, Union County, with photo credits listed as Martin and Yoder and Keifer.

Crews focused on containing the blaze and preventing extension to nearby structures along the Ketchum Lane corridor off Gessner Road; emergency personnel kept the roadway area clear while suppression and overhaul proceeded. No ambulances or hospitals were reported to have treated anyone on scene, and official accounts to this point state, No injuries were reported.

Key details remain under review, including an official cause determination and the extent of internal structural damage beyond the description that the home and garage were heavily damaged. Agencies and dispatch logs have not released exact call or arrival times, and it is not yet clear whether Union County fire investigators will take lead on a formal origin-and-cause inquiry.

Written by Mark Lawrence — Program Director at Newsradio 1070 WKOK. A home and garage located at 206 Ketchum Lane, Kelly Township, Union County, was heavily damaged by a fire which broke out Sunday afternoon at the property, located just off of Gessner Road. White Deer Township Volunteer Fire Company Chief Jim Messinger said firefighters were dispatched to the site after receiving reports of a fire inside of a garage, which was attached to a home. In Kelly Township, Union County, fire hit a home Sunday afternoon along Ketchum Lane off Gessner Road. The newspaper reports, radio traffic indicated the fire may have started in a garage and spread to a nearby home. No injuries were reported. Additional information will be released as it becomes available.

Updated: March 3, 2026 @ 4:56 pm. Kevin Mertz can be reached at 570-742-9671 ext. 1117 or email kevin@standard-journal.com. People with disabilities can contact Kevin Herr at 570-286-5838 extension 230 for help accessing the WKOK Online Public File.