‘Dramatic’ blaze leaves 15 displaced

Flames engulfed the third floor of a Scranton apartment building late Friday, displacing more than a dozen people as firefighters battled the intense blaze.

Firefighters arrived at 429-431 Prescott Ave. shortly after 9:30 p.m. to see heavy flames coming from the front of the third floor of the seven-unit building, acting Assistant Fire Chief Roger Rogalewicz said. The fire displaced at least 15 people who are now being assisted by the American Red Cross, Fire Chief John Judge said.

They quickly escalated the fire to a second alarm due to reports of people trapped inside, the size of the building and the dense smoke, Rogalewicz said. Seven firefighters rushed into the burning building to search for anyone stuck inside, but all occupants were able to escape, he said.

Minutes later the heavy flames caused the thirdfloor porch to collapse, sending it careening to the ground below in a burning heap and narrowly missing several firefighters. Multiple loud explosions erupted from the building, which Rogalewicz attributed to propane tanks on the third floor.

“They were quite dramatic,” he said.

The location of the fire on the third floor posed challenges for firefighters as they navigated the steps, and when they got to the burning apartment the dense smoke created visibility issues, Rogalewicz said. Flames also made their way a bit into the attic, he said.

Firefighters got the fire under control at 10:10 p.m., Rogalewicz.

After they largely doused the flames, firefighters continued to search the building for any remaining fire to ensure it didn’t ignite again, he said.

— Scranton Times-Tribune