June 20--Firefighters from Lebanon and surrounding areas responded to a pair of fires in the city an hour and a couple of blocks apart early Thursday morning, and authorities termed both of them "suspicious."
City fire crews, First Aid and Safety Patrol and fire police responded to a working dwelling fire on the third floor at 547 N. 10th St. at 2:44 a.m. The second house fire was reported at 518 N. Eighth St. at 3:41 a.m., drawing FASP and crews from the city, Glenn Lebanon, Cleona, Speedwell, Ebenezer, Neptune and Myerstown.
At the scene, city Fire Commissioner Duane Trautman called both blazes "suspicious," adding that the two structures have the same owner, Aaron Lantz. He said an investigation into each was continuing.
Tom Drupp and Preston Slee were on their way home from work when they noticed smoke coming from 547 N. 10th St. and decided to do something.
"I knew people might be in there, and they had to get out," Drupp said.
So he ran up to the building and kicked in the front door to gain access to the apartment building, he explained. He made his way to the second floor and found John Betz fast asleep in his apartment. Drupp managed to wake Betz up and lead him to safety.
"I don't think I ever moved that fast in my life," Drupp added.
Standing on the corner of 10th and Guilford streets as fire crews cleaned up Thursday morning, Betz shook Drupp's hand and said he was thankful for the early wakeup call.
There was "significant damage" to the third-floor apartment, water damage to the second and first floors, and smoke damage to the second floor, Trautman said of the North 10th Street fire.
The blaze appeared to have started in a stairwell and was suspicious, Trautman said. Two people were displaced from the building and are being assisted by the Red Cross.
While crews were investigating the fire on 10th Street, a call came in for "smoke coming out of a building" two blocks away on the corner of North Eighth and Crowell streets.
Crews arrived on North Eighth Street to find smoke coming from the three-unit building and drifting down the street. A second-alarm was soon struck for additional units.
"It's not so much that it was a bad fire, but we needed the help (because of the first fire)," Trautman said of the second-alarm.
The fire at 518 N. Eighth St. started in a stairwell on the second floor and moved to the third floor, he said. The fire burned away the stairs, making the fight more difficult for firefighters.
Two people were displaced from the three-unit building at Eighth and Crowell streets, Trautman said. The first floor remained stay open, while the second and third floors were deemed uninhabitable.
One firefighter suffered minor burns at the Eighth Street blaze, Trautman said. There were no reported injuries at the 10th Street incident.
The fire at Eighth Street was "suspicious," Trautman said.
"Again, no smoke detectors in either place," he said. "Unbelievable."
Lebanon police are investigating both incidents.
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Copyright 2013 - Lebanon Daily News, Pa.
