Pocono News Section

Wayne County Home Badly Damaged by Fire

Wayne County Home Badly Damaged by Fire - Monday, January 18, 2010 at 11:30AM EST

Reported by: Eyewitness News
Monday, Jan 18, 2010 @ 11:30am EST
BEACH LAKE, WAYNE COUNTY -- Three fire firefighters were injured while battling flames in Wayne County. The fire started around 2:00 this morning along Beach Road. Crews say slick conditions made it a tough fight.

"You see it on the news and you think those poor people, and then it happens to you, there you are," said Dan Corrigan.

Not much is left of Corrigan's home. He, his wife Jessica, and their two dogs have lived here for the past five years.

Monday morning fire destroyed the second floor and the back of the home. Corrigan knew something was wrong around 2:00. "I smelled smoke, thought it was the wood stove. It wasn't the wood stove. The back of the house was on fire. I got out, got my wife, my dogs, called 9-1-1 and so here we are," he said.

Depsite his house going up in flames, Corrigan was hardly distraught. ÒYou can sit and complain and cry and get upset about but itÕs not going to help anything. So right now just try to take what we can salvage what we can and either fix it up and rebuild,Ó he said.

For fire crews, this was a tough fight. Beach Lake Fire Chief Tony Franklin said, "Quite a bit of excursion going on here this morning. The elements didn't help any."

Franklin says the response was delayed because of bad roads. Once at the house - one of the fire fighters slipped on the ice and fell about 10 feet off the roof. He was taken to the hospital.

For now, Dan Corrigan and his family will need another place to stay. Dan doesn't seem too worried. ÒWhat can you do? You gotta just go in stride and take it as it comes and figure it out,Ó he said.

A second firefighter was taken to the hospital for chest pains. Another one was hurt but there's no word on his injuries.

A state police fire marshal is investigating, but the fire chief says the fire doesn't appear to suspicious.