Pocono News Section

Man Dies in Shenandoah Fire

Man Dies in Shenandoah Fire - Friday, November 13, 2009 at 05:00AM EST

Reported by: Eyewitness News
Friday, Nov 13, 2009 @ 05:00am EST
SHENANDOAH, SCHUYLKILL COUNTY -- One person is dead and two homes are destroyed after a Schuylkill County fire.

Schuylkill County Coroner Joseph Lipsett says a man believed to be in his 50s died in last night's fire.

Eyewitness News was there as crews remained on the scene finishing off hot spots in the 400-block of West New York Street.

The fire broke out at 419 West New York shortly after 7:30 last night. Then it spread next door to 421 where crews eventually found the victim. We're told at its peak, flames were shooting 20 feet into the air from the roofs of the two homes.

Crews knew this was an especially dangerous fire because of the close proximity of the row homes. They fought the flames both from the ground and from a ladder truck.

They also brought in fire-fighting help from surrounding communities to minimize the damage and threat to neighbors.

Shenandoah Fire Marshal Robert Selbi said, "We had heavy fire in back of the buildings. We have two buildings pretty much totally gutted and two other buildings minor damage. Our firefighters did a really good job of keeping it contained to the 2-buildings. It could have been a lot worse."

Firefighters battled the flames for more than an hour before taking control of the fire.

A state police fire marshal is heading the investigation into the fatal Shenandoah fire. An autopsy on the so far unnamed victim is set for today.