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Icy Conditions At Fire In East Stroudsburg

EAST STROUDSBURG — The icy, rainy weather made it difficult for crews fighting a fire in Monroe County Monday morning. A mother and her three children liv...
MON fire 1 12

EAST STROUDSBURG -- The icy, rainy weather made it difficult for crews fighting a fire in Monroe County Monday morning.

A mother and her three children live in the home on Walnut Street in East Stroudsburg.

The weather conditions were extremely dangerous throughout Monroe County through most of the morning. Roads and sidewalks were covered with ice which made it challenging for firefighters trying to respond to that house fire in East Stroudsburg.

Flames broke out at the place on Walnut Street in East Stroudsburg around 9:30 a.m. Monday in the middle of a wintry mix.

"One child was home, briefly, he heard a pop in the upstairs. He was able to get out of the home with the dog," said East Stroudsburg Fire Chief Bryan Wallie.

Fire crews from East Stroudsburg, Stroudsburg, and Pocono Township found flames coming from the front second story window.

Crews say the icy road conditions made getting there a little more difficult than usual.

"The road conditions are a major part of it, you know, icy roadways and heavy trucks trying to navigate through a small town," said Stroudsburg Assistant Fire Chief Charles Frantz.

Hoses and trucks lined the street for more than an hour, making the cold ground even slicker with the added water used to fight the flames.

One of the most dangerous parts of fighting this fire was actually getting up on the roof. Firefighters say the conditions were extremely icy and dangerous.

"Initially we had the problem of slipping and sliding, especially on the roof areas and the sidewalks because it moved so quickly and you do a lot of work," said Chief Wallie.

Firefighters say their boots have some traction to help avoid slipping, but some extra precautions were taken while climbing up to the second story to knock down the flames.

"We always put a roof ladder down when we're working on the roof so the guys can work off of that ladder. It actually has hooks on it that it can hook onto their boot so it stabilizes. They can climb right up and work off of that," said Frantz.

Crews say the family had heaters in the home that could possibly have sparked this fire.

"We got in there, made a knockdown, and everybody's going home safe. That's all we can ask for."

The Red Cross is assisting the family of four with a place to stay, as well as clothing and other items.

Fire officials say they have contacted the state police fire marshals.

Right now, they aren't sure what started the fire, but officials believe it was accidental.

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