Ryan Evans
The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
(MCT)
Apr. 7—WILKES-BARRE — Fast-acting fire crews were able to contain a blaze at 111 Park Ave. Wednesday night that saw no injuries but left three adults displaced, officials said.
Two residents were home when the fire broke out just after 5 p.m. and were able to escape. The other was not home at the time. The Red Cross has been contacted to assist with their displacement.
“They hit it quick,” Wilkes-Barre Fire Chief Jay Delaney said of crews’ response.
Delaney described “a lot of fire on arrival,” but said firefighters had it knocked down within a half hour.
“Our assistant chief just happened to be out on the road. He got here and there was heavy fire showing,” Delaney added. “Our crews went in and had a really aggressive interior attack on the fire.”
While he said that it’s too early to tell, the building may not be a total loss, although he mentioned that there was fire, smoke and water damage on the second floor and leading up into the attic, while the first floor suffered smoke and water damage.
Delaney also said there was “a lot of pulling up the walls and the ceiling” because “there was so much fire in there.”
One firefighter was evaluated by on-site department paramedics, but Delaney called the situation it “nothing critical,”explaining that in a heavy fire scenario, crew members go through numerous bottles of oxygen for their breathing apparatus.
Delaney said, “The important thing is no one got injured in the fire. There are no fire fatalities. It was a bad fire and they all got out.”
The cause of the fire remained investigation Wednesday night.
