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Flames Gut Home of Animal Rights Activist

CLARKS SUMMIT — A local animal rights activist vows to carry on her work just hours after flames destroyed her home in Lackawanna County and everything in...

CLARKS SUMMIT -- A local animal rights activist vows to carry on her work just hours after flames destroyed her home in Lackawanna County and everything in it.

Lisa Walker lived there. She's been in the news in recent years. When you see those protests for animal rights outside circuses, Walker is usually the one leading the way.

Walker says she's collected information for years on allegations of animal abuse at circuses documents, photographs, and it all went up in flames overnight.

The alarm at Walker's Haven Lane, Clarks Summit home came in just before midnight Sunday night.

A neighbor referred to the scene as a ball of flame. The home was gutted.

Walker, a child, a friend, and a cat all made it out safely.

Material collected on animals, what Walker calls her life's work, did not.

At the hotel where she's staying after the fire, Walker said the mission continues.

"All my paperwork is ruined. All my pictures are gone. All my fliers gone; everything is gone, as well as the baby pictures, but my friend and I and my children are all right, and my cat, otherwise, I'd be really crying," Walker said.

Walker adds the fire comes at a horrible time. The Ringling Brothers circus is leaving town, and the Shriners Circus is getting ready to set up shop next week at the 109th Armory in Luzerne County.

Walker spends much of her time fighting animal abuse, especially at circuses.  Walker told Newswatch 16 that the fire destroyed some of her work.

"I'm a circus activist. I'm an animal rights activist. That's what I was supposed to be doing today and now I've messed it up. My pictures and papers I was supposed to get in the papers tomorrow are probably spoiled, and that's all i care about," Walker said.

A state police fire marshal ruled the fire an accident, possibly caused by a space heater. They need to do some checking to find the exact cause.

No one was hurt.

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