After crash that set house ablaze, family reflects

For James and Jill Cummins of Upper Moreland, the Fourth of July was an "all-American" day. They hung bunting on their porch and took their three boys to the parade in Glenside.

Hours later, their typical holiday erupted into unthinkable chaos when a car came out of the night and ignited a massive fire involving their van and home on Byberry Road.

"It sounded like a freight train," said James Cummins, 38. The impact split the home's foundation and sent shelves of trophies in the boys' upstairs bedroom spilling to the floor.

"We were awake and on our feet in seconds," Cummins said. As the alarm on the family's 2005 Honda Odyssey beeped, Cummins went downstairs to see a wall of flames. An explosion had propelled beach chairs from inside the van onto the porch.

Dressing in whatever they could grab, James and Jill, 35, hustled sons Liam, 10, Ewen, 5, and Sean, 3, out of the house to safety. They opened the basement door to let their dog escape.

Less than five minutes later, as the house went up in flames, the family stood shoeless outside.

"You go to bed and you have shoes and socks," he said. "A couple of hours later, all you have is yourselves. On so many different levels, we are blessed."

The occupants of the car that struck the house died of smoke inhalation, burns, and injuries sustained in the crash, said Vicki Firth, chief investigator for the Montgomery County Coroner's Office.

She identified the passenger as Wayne Foulke, 27, of Philadelphia and Aurora, N.C., where he sometimes lived with his mother, Regina M. Foulke, 47. Regina Foulke could not be reached Wednesday. Firth said she was devastated at her son's death.

The identity of the car's female driver was not clear Wednesday, but Firth said driver and passenger were not related. Toxicology tests are pending.

Upper Moreland Police Chief Tom Nestel said investigators were theorizing that the driver fell asleep at the wheel, but authorities have yet to release an official cause of the accident.

On Wednesday, after insurance adjusters finished their work, the remains of the Cummins' house were knocked down as a safety measure.

Cummins, technology director for the Cheltenham Township schools, and his wife, a registered dietitian at Crozer-Chester Medical Center, were able to save their oldest boys' christening photos, their second car, and a dozen goldfish from a homemade pond.

The family will rebuild in Upper Moreland, but not at 3150 Byberry Rd.

"We'll rebuild our memories elsewhere," Cummins said.