A Ross man whose home caught on fire and partially collapsed early yesterday morning slept through the entire ordeal, only to be awakened when firefighters were doing a walk-through of the home 2 1/2 hours later.

"Never would I have expected anybody to live," Ross fire Marshal John Reubi said. "I was flabbergasted."

The blaze at 135 Buckhill Road was reported at 2:40 a.m. by a passer-by, and by the time firefighters arrived, the large farmhouse was fully involved.

Firefighters made repeated attempts to get into the home to search for victims, but were unable to because part of the roof collapsed.

About two hours after it was reported, the blaze was under control. Two firefighters were then sent in to determine if the building was structurally sound, Mr. Reubi said.

When they kicked in the door to a small corner bedroom on the first floor -- at the opposite end of the home from where the fire started -- a man slid off his mattress.

"It startled the firefighter," Mr. Reubi said. "As they got closer, they could hear moaning."

Then, he continued, "The guy yelled, 'What are you doing breaking my windows?' "

"It was as if he didn't even know it was going on," Mr. Reubi said. "He had no knowledge of it."

The man was identified as Edward Stefanic. Because the room he was in was mostly closed off from the rest of the house, it appeared that he was mostly protected from the worst of the smoke and fire.

Mr. Stefanic had no burns, though he did have raised carbon monoxide levels, Mr. Reubi said. He was taken to UPMC Mercy where he was in critical condition last night.

Although no cause has yet been determined, Mr. Reubi believes it is likely that the fire was accidental. It started in the kitchen, he said.

Mr. Stefanic was home alone at the time of the blaze. Earlier on Saturday evening, emergency medical personnel were called to the house to take his mother to the hospital when she was having chest pains, Mr. Reubi said.

No one else was home at the time of the blaze. A dog survived, though a cat did not.

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