Pocono News Section

Two Homes Destroyed In Wyoming Co. Fire

Two Homes Destroyed In Wyoming Co. Fire - Sunday, October 14, 2007 at 8:28PM EST

Sunday, Oct 14, 2007 @08:28pm EST
(LAKE WINOLA, Wyoming County) -

One lot on Lake Winola has been in the Davitt family of Scranton for more than half a century. Little more than a year ago, son Andy started to build a second home for him and his family.

Early Sunday morning, flames shattered his dream. “It was a little after 4 o'clock and i saw the flames. It must've been about 75 feet high, it was an inferno,” said Neighbor and Overfield Township Supervisor Scott Kresge.

Fire destroyed Andy and Deb Davitt's dream vacation home on Lake Winola in a matter of minutes. The couple was fast asleep when they awoke to an orange glow coming from the empty cottage next door. A State Police Fire Marshall has already come and gone.

Lake WInola Asst. Fire Chief Gene Dziak said, "It was an accidental fire. Without a doubt it was an accidental fire, it was in a wood burner in a chimney." Davitt, a Philadelphia lawyer grew up in Scranton and just finished building this three story, four bedroom, four bath home.

The new furniture arrived Saturday morning. The family that owns the neighboring cottage, where the fire started closed on their property < Monday. Neighbor scott kresge has been there too. He lost his business in 1999. Kresge added, "It's disheartening.

You hate to see anyone go through this, but nobody was hurt. You can replace buildings, houses and cars." Firefighters say fires like this are preventable. Lake Winola Asst. Chief Gene Dziak says it's important to maintain your wood burning stove before you fire it up.

Asst. Chief Dziak added, "You need to check the chimney; you need to make sure the chimneys are open. You need to make sure the stove pipes are in good condition before you put a fire a wood burner and you need to make sure the wood burners are clean."

Firefighters say this loss is well above a half million dollars. Davitt is insured and plans to re-build. Several local fire companies responded to the flames, none of them were injured.