The old house went up like a torch, and strong winds turned it into a blast furnace. Firefighters had a losing battle on their hands even before they got here. The house and everything in it were reduced to a pile of ashes in the basement.
"Our primary concern is to make sure nobody gets hurt," said Upper Moreland Fire Marshal Robert Drennan.
State, county and local investigators were on the scene Monday, trying to find out how it started. But, they were hampered by teetering chimneys and stone walls on the verge of collapse.
Right now investigators say it's too early to tell what caused the fire.
The property is a complete loss but Senator Greenleaf and his family got out with their lives and that's thanks to working smoke detectors. Greenleaf was home with his wife, one of his sons and a family friend at the time.
He was unavailable for comment on Monday busy with the job of starting over.
