ST. MARYS – The state police fire marshal and the Crystal Fire Department determined that an Elk County fire that caused about $150,000 in damage was accidental.
The fire destroyed a 24-foot-by-44-foot home owned by Mary Lee Bankovic in St. Marys Monday at 7:25 a.m. The home also had an attached garage.
During the investigation, it was learned that the fire began in a bedroom and then spread.
Bankovic was not home at the time of the fire.
The Crystal Fire Department was assisted at the scene by the Fox Township Fire Department and the Johnsonburg Fire Department. The Ridgway Fire Department remained on standby in St. Marys. There were no injuries related to the fire, however one firefighter was transported from the scene to Elk Regional Health Center for a medical condition.
