Two individuals, a young male and his caretaker, were transported to a local hospital after a fire broke out at a Kenley Street residence in Hughestown Monday night.
Kevin Carroll | Times Leader
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Heavy damage seen around a second-story window; this is where Hughestown fire chief Jamie Merlino believes that a house fire that left two injured started in that area.
Kevin Carroll | Times Leader
A ladder seen extending to a second-floor window, where one of the two individuals injured in Monday night’s fire was extricated from.
Kevin Carroll | Times Leader
HUGHESTOWN — Two individuals were taken to the hospital after a fire broke out inside a Kenley Street residence on Monday evening.
Hughestown Fire Chief Jamie Merlino confirmed that the two individuals, a young male and his caretaker, were transported to Geisinger Wyoming Valley after a fire broke out on the second story of the home.
Crews from Hughestown, Pittston Township, Pittston, Laflin and both the Germania and Excelsior companies from Duryea responded to 9 Kenley St. in Hughestown just after 6 p.m. Monday for a reported structure fire with possible entrapment inside the residence.
There’s no word yet on what may have caused the fire, but Merlino said that it was believed to have originated on the second floor, where one of the victims was trapped.
Initial efforts to get to the victim on the second floor were impeded by what Merlino described as a “flashover,” where everything seemed to ignite and imperil the firefighters making their way upstairs. Those initial rescuers had to pull back for their own safety; Merlino reported that none of his firefighters, nor any firefighters from the assisting companies were injured fighting the fire.
Thanks to the assistance from the Excelsior truck’s ladder, firefighters were able to breach the second floor from the outside and extricate both victims from the home, at which point they were transported for medical attention. There’s no word at this time on the condition of either victim.
A third resident of the home, believed to be the father of the young man rescued from the blaze, was not home at the time of the fire.
With water coming in from multiple hoses, crews were able to knock down the fire and by about 8 p.m., the firefighters had just about shut down the scene.
Merlino said that it was too early to speculate about the extent of the damage to the home and whether or not it would be livable, but that his crew would assist with finding a place for the homeowners to stay if need be.
A fire marshal has been notified and will be investigating the scene to determine the cause of the fire.
