Pocono News Section

Dickson City Fire Victims Salvage Special Momentos

Dickson City Fire Victims Salvage Special Momentos - Thursday, January 7, 2010 at 6:12PM EST

Reported by: Eric Deabill
Thursday, Jan 7, 2010 @ 06:12pm EST
DICKSON CITY, LACKAWANNA COUNTY - A State Police fire marshal spent part of Thursday morning looking for the cause of a fire in Dickson City. Several people were left homeless after the blaze broke out Wednesday night on Main Street.

The official cause of the blaze is still undetermined but there is not much left of the two-unit apartment building.

Florio Blaskovich took Eyewitness News inside the burnt out home Thursday morning. He pointed out a faulty outlet he thinks contributed to the fire. His apartment and the one his daughter was living in are both in ruins.

"It's real hard. You never think it would happen to you," Blaskovich said.

Blaskovich says he was in the basement when he started smelling smoke. He went to a closet on the first floor and found the flames.

"I just happened to touch the wall and the wall was hot. I went on the other side, opened the door to the closet and the flames were already to the second floor," Blaskovich said.

His wife and two grandchildren were also in the house at the time. Barbara Blaskovich just worried about getting everyone out safely.

"I had an 18-month-old and a four-year-old with no shoes and no coat on, how am I supposed to get them out of there and I knew it had to be fast," Barbara Blaskovich said.

The family was able to salvage some priceless possessions like a wedding dress and several framed pictures and books but mostly everything else is gone.

"I don't care about the furniture and everything. It's my memories. It's my pictures. That's the most important," Barbara Blaskovich said.

The family says they can't thank their neighbor, Kovelesky Karate School, enough for helping them through the tough time. Managers are already planning a benefit for the family.

"Hopefully we can rebuild and start new memories," Robert Haswell, the family's future son-in-law said.

The fire victims say they are staying with relatives in the area for the time being.