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Pocono News Section
Vacant House Fire Causes Concern
Vacant House Fire Causes Concern - Thursday, November 6, 2008 at 3:06PM EST
Reported by: Kyla Campbell
Thursday, Nov 6, 2008 @ 03:06pm EST
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY -- City officials say an early morning fire Thursday at 38 Simpson Street is a reminder of the problems associated with vacant buildings.
The assistant fire chief hadn't immediately determined the cause, but turned the investigation over to a city detective. Codes officials say vacant homes that burn down are often the result of people who shouldn't have been inside.
Ann Middleton was shocked after the house next to hers went up in flames Thursday morning.
"I've never seen anything like this before," said Middleton. "And they kept spraying my house so the side of it wouldn't burn."
She and other neighbors say the building had been vacant for several years, but they have concerns that kids were hanging out there and causing trouble.
"The one neighbor says she heard kids partying there the other night," said Middleton.
City officials say vacant homes are problematic. Sometimes thrill-seekers hang out and start fires. Other times, it's people with no other place to go.
"Homeless people look for a place to sleep for the night," said Frank Kratz, a Wilkes-Barre Building Codes official. "They get in these homes, they light fires to keep warm, that's a big concern of ours."
Middleton says a homeless person stayed in the neighboring house two summers ago.
"There are people who just roam, I guess," she said. "They have nowhere to go.
Kratz says while homeless people don't necessarily intentionally set fires, it still happens.
He said, "It's a hazard to the city, neighbors, and firefighters."
And it could mean a huge cost to the owner, too. If code officials require a torched house to get torn down, it could cost the homeowner more than $20,000 if they don't have the proper insurance.
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