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Crews in Schuylkill County Battle Three-Alarm Fire in Sub-Zero Temperatures

SHENANDOAH — Firefighters in Schuylkill County were called to a three-alarm commercial fire just before 4am Sunday in downtown Shenandoah. According to fi...

SHENANDOAH -- Firefighters in Schuylkill County were called to a three-alarm commercial fire just before 4am Sunday in downtown Shenandoah.

According to fire officials, no one was inside the building where the fire started and one firefighter injured his hand.

Investigators said at  three buildings were damaged, including National Penn Bank.

North Main Street in the area of the fire was closed to traffic for part of the morning while crews worked to put out the flames.

Firefighters from around Schuylkill County had to cope with some of the coldest weather of the year as water turned to ice.

Flames gutted the building, water and smoke hit two more including a branch of the National Penn Bank. Officials say the double block where the fire started had been vacant for years and didn't have any power.

One man tells Newswatch 16 that he planned to start work renovating in the spring.

"Now, I don't know what I am going to do, I don't know what I am going to do to be perfectly honest, I don't know how a fire gets started when where is no power to these buildings," said Victor Akey of Shenandoah.

By light of day, the devastation became clear. The fire left a roof collapsed and charred wreckage covered in icicles. A state police fire marshal combed through the scene looking for a cause.

As crews make sure the fire is out, they had another issue to deal with. They told Newswatch 16 that the cold caused  equipment on a hose truck to become frozen in place.

Luna's Dimaggio Restaurant is across the street from the fire. Kathleen Weikel lives right upstairs. She said, "[It's] pretty scary, I had some friends and cousins die in a fire before."

Weikel adds that workers made pizza for the first responders and offered them a place to get warm. "They were all freezing. They were out there for hours."

More than 8 hours after the flames broke out, some fire fighters were still out in the cold finishing the job.

"I appreciate them a lot, because god forbid if it could have been worse, somebody could have been hurt or died, and now that they are here they've got it under control," said Daniel Lopez of Shenandoah

There is no word yet when that branch of National Penn Bank will be able to re-open.

The cause of Sunday's morning's fire in Schuylkill County has not yet been determined.

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