Fire in rural Centre County destroys barn and damages home. 4 residents displaced

Numerous fire companies across Centre and Clinton counties responded to a third-alarm barn fire in Boggs Township Tuesday morning that spread to a home, displacing four residents.

Crews were called to the blaze in the 1200 block of Circle Road just after 10 a.m., according to dispatch reports. Citizens Hook & Ladder Assistant Chief Jonathan McClure and Deputy Chief Brian Burns told the CDT that the fire completely destroyed a barn and caused significant damage to the home next to it.

The pair believe that the blaze started in the barn and spread to the home before fire departments arrived on scene. A fire marshal was called in to identify the exact cause.

According to McClure and Burns, four residents were displaced by the fire. No injuries to residents or firefighters were reported.

One dog and one cat were saved from the blaze, but another dog and up to three other cats are believed to have died.

The Snow Shoe Fire Company wrote on social media that water was expected to be an issue in fighting the blaze due to cold weather and hydrants, noting that a backhoe from was requested from Boggs Township to break ice to establish a fill site.

McClure and Burns said that the backhoe broke ice on the surface of a nearby creek to provide a water source. The same backhoe also helped free a fire truck that got stuck in a snow bank.

Snow Shoe, Mill Hall, Howard, Alpha, Port Matilda and Pine Glen fire companies were among other fire companies on scene, along with Bellefonte EMS and West Penn Power.

This story was originally published February 10, 2026 at 12:32 PM.