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Vacant West Hempfield Township home gutted by fire
Intelligencer Journal
Lancaster New Era
Nov 20, 2009 21:36 EST
Columbia
By LARRY ALEXANDER, Staff Writer

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For the second time in two years, tragedy visited a West Hempfield Township home.

The house at 545 Pitney Road, which was for sale and is believed to still be owned by Donna and Reiad Danfora, was ravaged by a fire early Friday morning.

"It pretty much gutted the place," said West Hempfield Township police Sgt. Russell C. Geier.

The house was unoccupied at the time of the fire, and Geier said he believes the family moved out "some time ago."

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

West Hempfield and Columbia fire companies responded to the blaze.

On March 4, 2007, the Danforas' 16-year-old son, Ricky, was accidentally shot and killed in a bedroom of the house.

Earlier that day, the boy had been in York and purchased a handgun from an acquaintance who said he needed the money. Danfora paid $150 for the gun.

That night, he removed the gun from under his mattress and removed the bullets to show the gun to his brother and sister. He neglected to remove one cartridge and the gun went off when he handed it to his brother. The bullet struck Danfora in the chest.

The Hempfield High School 10th-grader was taken to Lancaster General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

lalexander@lnpnews.com


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