Pa. Apartment Blaze Displaces 11; Hurts Firefighter

Dec. 03--HAZLETON -- Smoke poured from a city apartment building Sunday as a stubborn fire raged inside, causing major damage and leaving eight adults and three children without a home.

The fire at the five-unit apartment building at North Cedar and East Green streets is under investigation by a state police fire marshal and, at this point, the cause is listed as undetermined. Troopers conducted a preliminary investigation once the flames were extinguished Sunday and were expected to continue the investigation today. Other Hazleton City officials are expected to look at the building today as well.

Deputy Fire Chief Shawn Jones said he was told one infant living in the home was taken to Hazleton General Hospital by family for smoke inhalation. The child's condition is unknown. A volunteer firefighter sustained facial cuts when glass falling from the building hit him in the face and he was treated at the fire scene, Jones said.

Hazleton firefighters were dispatched to the building at about 11:19 a.m. after people in the area noticed a large amount of smoke rising from the attic eves of the home.

When firefighters arrived, they initially checked the building to ensure all occupants were outside. After finding all the residents were safely outside, firefighters set up their equipment and began vacating the large amount of smoke inside the building and extinguishing the fire.

Smoke swirled in the breeze as it billowed from the west facing roof, third-floor eves and dormer windows of the building.

On the ground, firefighters hustled, running to set up hoses in front of the building and setting up ladders to attack the fire as smoke quickly filled the neighborhood. Hazleton police assisted on scene with crowd control, keeping onlookers a safe distance away from the burning building.

Crews smashed third-floor windows, trying to ventilate smoke from the building.

Firefighters cut holes into the roof because the fire had spread and was trapped between a new plywood and asphalt shingled roof and an older tin roof, Jones said, making it difficult for firefighters to extinguish the fire. Flames inside the attic became visible from a street level view.

North Cedar Street from East Hemlock Street to Broad Street was closed to traffic as was Green Street between North Poplar and Pine streets.

A neighbor living in a row home across the street from the fire alerted those inside the burning building to get out.

Jose Fellipe said he ran from the home like many of his neighbors after being alerted to the smoke coming from the building.

"I just woke up and heard my door being kicked at," Fellipe said.

Fellipe said he lived in a first-floor apartment for the past three years and Sunday he stood outside of it in the cold, surrounded by a group of other people watching as firefighters tried to save the building into the afternoon.

Still unsure of what happened to cause the fire, Fellipe, who hadn't been allowed back inside his home yet, believed most of his possessions were destroyed based on what he saw from outside the building. Water used to extinguish the fire poured out of his front door and onto the sidewalk.

As a fire marshal appeared Sunday afternoon, firefighters exiting the building appeared exhausted, taking a few small breaks before walking back into the building or onto a ladder to extinguish any of the small flames still burning in the building at about 1:30 p.m. Some firefighters turnout gear was covered in soot, dirt and small burned pieces of the building that fell onto their clothes and gear during the battle.

By about 3 p.m., firefighters had the blaze extinguished, Jones said. He said the third floor was nearly "destroyed," by the fire and the second and third floors sustained smoke and water damage.

The Hazleton Chapter of the American Red Cross was contacted to assist the fire victims.

Fire Chief Donald Leshko said he "commended the crews that were there. They did a fabulous job," combating the stubborn fire and worked together.

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