Lineworker spots fire, helps property owner limit damage
Our employees know nothing is more important than doing their jobs safely and looking out for the safety of others around them during the workday.
It’s that safety-first mindset that led lineworker Joe Keeney to take swift and decisive action when he noticed a building on fire while he was traveling to a work site earlier this year.
Keeney was on his way to the site of a power outage in Juniata County following a storm in August 2024 when he noticed a glow in the sky in the distance. As he got closer, he realized a garage was on fire.
Keeney immediately pulled over to a safe area and began looking for an address marker at the property so he could direct emergency responders to the location. When he couldn’t determine the address, he contacted a PPL dispatcher who was able to determine the address using a grid number that Keeney provided from a nearby pole.
While the dispatcher was calling 911 to get a fire crew to the property, Keeney made his way to the house to wake up the homeowners, who were grateful for assistance.
“He was as shocked as I was,” Keeney said. “I used my fire extinguisher to help keep the fire under control and the homeowner got a garden hose to spray water on it, which controlled it well.”
Firefighters eventually arrived to put out the fire, limiting the damage to the garage, which was detached from the house. There were no injuries reported.