One man has been confirmed dead following a fire in Nescopeck Township Saturday night.

Luzerne County Coroner Dion Fernandes confirmed that James E. Velekei, 73, was pronounced dead at the scene of a fire on Wapwallopen Road.

An autopsy is scheduled for later this week.

This marks the fifth fatal fire in Luzerne County this month. Mostly recently, an 11-year-old boy was killed in a house fire in Wilkes-Barre on Aug. 18.

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Margaret Roarty
Margaret Roarty started at the Times Leader in 2023 as a general news reporter and recently transitioned into covering Wilkes-Barre City and other municipal government news. In her weekly Times Leader column, "In Frame," she shares her passion for filmmaking by exploring the rich arts and entertainment history in Luzerne County, while also offering movie recommendations and reviews. In addition to her reporting for the Times Leader, Margaret is a former contributor to The Film Magazine, an online publication focusing on film analysis and reviews. Her entertainment writing can also be found on Cherry Pickers, Directed By Women, and the Bright Lights Film Journal. Her short fiction can be found in Dark Sire Literary Journal's 9th issue. She is also co-host of "Women Are Reading," a book club podcast where she interviews authors and reviews books with her sister, Katie. In 2026, she joined The Luzerne County Arts and Entertainment Hall of Fame arts committee. Margaret grew up in Luzerne Borough and currently resides in Forty Fort, along with her fiancé, a library full of books, and their orange cat, Jack. In her free time, Margaret can be found obsessively logging films into her Letterboxd, cooking pasta, and writing fiction stories about romantic and fantastical things.