PA Firefighters Confronted with 24 Burning Vehicles

Scranton firefighters extinguished 24 burning cars Monday after a fire tore through the lot where they were parked.

No one was injured in the fire at Elite Motors on North Keyser Avenue, but a large, black cloud of smoke could be seen from Dickson City to Taylor.

The fire, which was reported at 6:31 p.m., was out by 9:43 p.m., said acting Assistant Chief Dave Schreiber. The cause is under investigation by the fire inspector and arson investigator, he said.

“The crews did a good job keeping it from spreading to the building,” said Assistant Chief Schreiber, noting fire burned through four cars parked alongside the Elite Motors building.

Assistant Chief Schreiber was unsure if the vehicles parked in the lot were functioning or junk cars, but all the vehicles were destroyed. Tires — which could be heard exploding — and the cars’ interior materials caused the black smoke, he said.

Scranton police blocked Keyser Avenue for about a mile Monday night while crews battled the blaze.

Robert Ferri of Old Forge owns Elite Motors USA, which also has a location in Plains Twp. The state Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection filed a lawsuit against the company in May alleging the used-car dealership has repeatedly violated state law by deceiving customers and selling mechanically defective vehicles.

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