MOUNT CARMEL - Firefighters prevented a blaze from spreading throughout a row of seven connected homes Wednesday in the 100 block of North Locust Street.
The two-alarm fire broke out about 6:10 p.m. in the second floor of 119 N. Locust St.
Jack Williams Jr., borough fire chief, said firefighters initiated an aggressive interior attack, with some running a hose into the structure to douse the flames while others cut ventilation holes into the roof.
"Cutting holes in the roof causes the fire to go vertically instead of horizontally" to stop it from spreading to neighboring structures, Williams said.
Holes were also cut into the roof at 117 and 115 N. Locust St., both of which are unoccupied. Windows and doors from 121 to 113 N. Locust St. were opened, or in the case of 119 N. Locust St., intentionally broken, to ventilate the structures.
Homes from 123 to 111 N. Locust St. are connected. While 119 N. Locust St. is a total loss, Williams hailed firefighters for preventing the fire from spreading and causing further disaster.
The Mount Carmel Fire Department was assisted at the scene by members of Atlas Fire Co., Shamokin Fire Bureau and Coal Township Fire Department.
The fire was fully extinguished in about 30 minutes, he said.
Chest pains
One firefighter experienced shortness of breath and chest pains. He was treated at the scene and transported to Geisinger-Shamokin Area Community Hospital for evaluation. Williams had no further information on his condition.
The home at 119 N. Locust St. is owned by George Atiyeh, Williams said, and occupied by five tenants - Joshua Casiano, 24; Taisha Candelario, 25; Fernando Lapaz, 22; Lynne Lasanta, 21, and Mason Casiano, 2.
Joshua Casiano, the only tenant in the home at the time of the fire, was standing in the street beside a fire engine while holding his dog and watching firefighters work to extinguish the blaze. He was barefoot and wearing little more than his underwear and undershirt and was clutching a bath towel.
He said he had finished painting the front bedroom of the home and had taken a shower just before discovering the fire.
"I heard a boom and looked up and saw the ceiling was on fire," he said. "I grabbed the dog and ran outside."
Casiano said he considered grabbing a few possessions from the home but thought better of it.
"It's all material," he said.
The tenants of 119 N. Locust St., whom Williams said did not have renters' insurance, are staying with friends in the borough. The American Red Cross was expected to assist the victims.
Other residents on the block whose homes received smoke were likely to stay elsewhere overnight until the smell dissipated, he said.
The unoccupied home at 117 N. Locust St. sustained minimal fire damage to its second floor and also sustained smoke and water damage. The remainder of the homes sustained varying degree of smoke damage.
The cause and exact point of origin of the fire have yet to be determined, and a state police fire marshal is expected to investigate, Williams said.