Pocono News Section

Stroudsburg Fire Leaves Dozens Homeless

Stroudsburg Fire Leaves Dozens Homeless - Sunday, December 6, 2009 at 3:27PM EST

Reported by: Kyla Campbell
Sunday, Dec 6, 2009 @ 03:27pm EST

STROUDSBURG, MONROE COUNTY -- A state police fire marshal is investigating a fire that broke out at the Carlton House apartment building here late Saturday night.

"Just what I got on is all I grabbed," said Wayne Flowers, who lived in the apartment building for four years. "I know when I come out this whole section of the building next to me was really going."

"I was watching TV in bed around 11:30 when I heard an explosion," said Dennis Smith, who lived on the third floor. He and his girlfriend went out the door and saw flames in the hallway. Smith says a building manager came with a fire extinguisher and went to the next-door apartment. "He kicked in the door, went in, and flames just shot out. And that was it. We had to get down the steps to get out."

"We also had multiple people trapped," said Mike Seip, the second assistant chief for the Stroudsburg Fire Department. "The guys went in, and we got five people out."

He says anywhere from 30 to 50 people lived in the Carlton House, which he estimated had at least two dozen apartments. Everyone got out safely. But people who lived here claim the old wood-framed building had its faults.

"It had no smoke detectors, fire alarms, anything else obviously," said one man, who didn't want to be identified.

"This couple lives in the room next door to me, and when I'm cooking with my microwave and they're cooking, our electric pops off," added Flowers.

"it's an old building," said Seip. "It's been divided up many times."

Building managers wouldn't comment, and the owner wasn't available. Now, dozens of people who lived in the building are staying at a hotel a couple blocks away.