A Bern Township family was displaced by a weekend fire that remains under investigation, officials said.
The fire in the ranch home in the 2700 block of Leiszczs Bridge Road was reported about 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
A woman who had taken refuge from the smoke in a front bedroom was helped out of a window by two Bern Township police officers. She was treated at Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center for minor smoke inhalation, according to Officer Jordan Heckman, who is also the township’s fire marshal.
First responders rescued three cats and three rabbits from the smoke‑filled home. One cat died, another remained unaccounted for as of Monday, and two rabbits did not survive, Heckman said. A dog escaped safely.
STEVEN HENSHAW – READING EAGLE
A house in the 2700 block of Leizsczs Bridge Road in Bern Township home is uninhabitable after a fire on Aug. 29, 2026. (STEVEN HENSHAW – READING EAGLE)
The fire originated in a rear bedroom in the right corner of the home, Heckman said. Flames damaged two rooms, and smoke and heat caused damage throughout the structure, leaving it uninhabitable.
Initial reports indicated two people were unable to get out. Bern Township police officers Vincent Mazza and Sgt. Edwin Noll arrived before fire crews and learned a woman was sheltering in the front bedroom. They pushed in a window air‑conditioning unit and assisted her out of the window, Heckman said.
A Muhlenberg Township Fire & Rescue crew quickly knocked down the flames using two handlines from an engine. Additional arriving units assisted with searches and removal of the cats and rabbits.
The American Red Cross is assisting the family — three adults and a child — with temporary lodging and other emergency needs, Heckman said.