Oct. 23--Two police officers and three residents were injured as a Tuesday afternoon fire gutted the Mineral Springs Hotel along the Delaware River in Forks Township, police said.
A dozen people were displaced, and police were investigating the possibility of arson.
The injured officers, Jeffrey Kiefer and Sean Stark, suffered smoke inhalation as they alerted residents to leave the three-story hotel at 4036 N. Delaware Drive, township police Cpl. Jack Dressler said.
"They saved at least one life," Dressler said. "The person couldn't walk. They dragged him out. They did a fantastic job.
"They went door to door," he said. "They basically had to kick in every door to make sure everyone was out."
Kiefer and Stark were treated at a hospital for several hours and released, Dressler said.
The four-alarm fire began about 1:10 p.m. at the hotel, 3 miles north of Easton. By the time the flames were out around 6 p.m., the hotel was in ruins.
"Upstairs, the living quarters of the Mineral Springs Hotel is a total loss," Dressler said. Part of the downstairs bar might have been saved, but it had severe water damage.
Two residents were treated for smoke inhalation, police Capt. Richard Grifo said. Police later said a third person was also injured in the blaze.
One of the injured was burned, according to emergency radio reports. A cat also was reported rescued.
Police were looking into whether a domestic argument at the hotel, reported just before the fire, was connected to the blaze.
"We're trying to get through the investigation at this point," Dressler said Tuesday night. Charges could be filed around midday Wednesday, he said.
"The entire building is basically a crime scene at tht is point," he said. "We have it taped off, and we're investigating."
As they battled the blaze, fire crews pumped water from the Delaware River. At one point, dispatchers said downed electrical wires were in the way.
The American Red Cross of the Greater Lehigh Valley said it was assisting the nine adults and three children -- seven families -- displaced by the fire. Five of the families received temporary lodging, and all seven were given food and clothing.
Multiple fire crews responded to the blaze, including Forks Township, Tatamy, Palmer, Nazareth, Nancy Run, Easton, Williams and Lower Mount Bethel Township.
-- Kevin Mingora and Frank Warner contributed to this story.
Copyright 2013 - The Morning Call (Allentown, Pa.)
