SALEM TOWNSHIP -- Fire officials say two blazes in Luzerne County, unrelated and only a few hours apart, were the result of people trying to stay warm in bitterly cold temperatures.
The first fire was at 115 Salem Boulevard--also known as Route 11--in Salem Township early Monday morning.
“Pete told me he came down and shut the generator off and they went upstairs and they see flames out on the porch,” said Barry Zwalkuski, who was living in the house.
Fire officials said the fire was caused by that outside generator. No one was hurt. Folks fixing up that place were using a generator for electricity.
Township officials are checking into whether anyone should have been living in the place without heat or electricity.
“We just didn’t get the inspector yet, that’s all. It was about to be turned on, so we were using a generator to fix it up,” said Zwalkuski.
The second blaze was at 69 Salem Boulevard around 6 a.m.
“I got a whiff of smoke and when I looked out the front window of my house, facing down there, I could see flames coming out of the house and I called 911,” said Les Schnee, a neighbor.
Fire crews say a wood burning stove malfunctioned. Three people and two dogs inside at the time made it out OK.
“Very devastated. That was our old house before we moved out of there and then we moved up above, a lot of memories there,” said Kathleen Reese of Shickshinny.
The man who owns the property at 69 Salem Boulevard says he used to own the other one that burned at 115 Salem Boulevard; unfortunately, he tells Newswatch 16 there was no insurance for either property.
“Just happens, I guess. Never know. Never know what’s gonna happen,” said Reese.