WILKES-BARRE -- Crews responded to a house fire in Wilkes-Barre Wednesday morning.
The fire broke out in the 400 block of North Pennsylvania Avenue in Wilkes-Barre before noon.
Heavy smoke was coming from the second floor when crews arrived.
Wilkes-Barre Fire Chief Jay Delaney said crews had to attack the fire quickly to keep it from spreading to nearby homes.
"Initially there was a concern, 'cause these houses are so close to the north end, but they did a real aggressive job knocking the fire down," Chief Delaney said.
Firefighters' fast response to the scene is partly due to their colleagues in blue. A Wilkes-Barre police officer was on his regular patrol, driving along the 400 block of North Pennsylvania Avenue, when he saw some smoke billowing on the second floor of the home. That's when he called it in.
"By them finding it, calling it in as they did, we had an aggressive response. Our firefighters got here, went right inside, right to the second floor, aggressively attacked it, and the bulk of the fire damage is now on the second floor," Chief Delaney said.
The five family members who lived inside are safe and are staying with family. Meanwhile, the cause of the fire in under investigation.