Pocono News Section

Midnight Fire Leaves 14 Homeless

Midnight Fire Leaves 14 Homeless - Saturday, April 25, 2009 at 6:44PM EST

SHAMOKIN, NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY -- Flames broke out in an apartment building along Shamokin Street just before 12:30am Saturday.
Greg Adams tells Eyewitness News he was staying with friends inside this first-floor apartment.

"I went to get a shower, and I came out, and Kelly was screaming," explains Adams. "The couch was on fire, and I tried to throw the couch out the door."

Fire crew say at that point, flames moved up the outside and to the upper floors of the building.

"When we got to about a block away from it, you could see the smoke more, the fire, and the light from the fire," said Sean Perry of Shamokin.

"I saw fire trucks and everything and a whole bunch of smoke coming out," said David Britton of Shamokin. "I just stood here and watched it. It was terrible."

Everyone inside made it out safely, but firefighters tell us a dog was killed in the fire.

"I was pretty concerned," added Britton. "So many people lost their houses, and it's just crazy."

The Red Cross tells us they're helping five families, a total of 14 people who lived in this building. Others here in Shamokin fear those people will have a tough time starting over.

"Hopefully they can find another place to go," said Andrew Britton, who has fond memories of playing inside this first-floor apartment. "When I was a little kid, my aunt used to live here, and we grew up in this apartment building."

He says there aren't many places for people to go in Shamokin.

"A lot of people depend on this because there areapartment buildings that do housing, and low-income families need this," added Britton.

But Sean Perry hopes the fire victims focus on the positive.

"They're good, they're not injured, they're alive," he said.

Anyone who wants to donate to the victims can contact the Red Cross.