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Busy Day For First Responders In Hazleton

HAZLETON — It was a busy day for first responders in part of Luzerne County. Firefighters in Hazleton had to deal with two sizable fires just hours apart,...

HAZLETON -- It was a busy day for first responders in part of Luzerne County.

Firefighters in Hazleton had to deal with two sizable fires just hours apart, and one of those fires was especially difficult to bring under control.

Black smoke billowed above a fire scene in Hazleton around 3 p.m. Wednesday.

Fire crews were called to the Holeshot Cycle & Accessories, Inc. after a blaze broke out inside the workshop room.

People could see the smoke for miles.

“I work downtown on Cedar Avenue. Just looked out the office window and there was very black smoke so you knew it was more than just a structure wood fire, it was definitely tires and oils,” said Greg Maduro.

The fire chief said it was those burning tires and grease that made it tough to get the fire under control.

Fellow businesses owners along South Church Street their sympathies go out to employees at the shop.

“We all know each other because we’ve been on the hill for many years here,” said Dan Yannuzzi, owner of YOU Trucking. “It’s a shame, it’s a shame to loss them here now, hopefully they can rebuild.”

The fire chief said adding to their problems; water from the fire hydrants was running slow.

“The hydrants in this section of the city are a little bit low on flow so we’re going to work with the Water Authority is and see what the story is, we had to bring water tankers to supplement our water,” said Hazleton City Fire Chief Donald Leshko.

It’s been a busy day for fire crews in Hazleton.

They spent their morning battling a blaze inside a double block home on Peace Street.

The two families inside got out safely.

“I hope everything is okay because I have three kids in school,” said Jorgelina Cruz. “It's kind of tough when you are going to lose everything.”

“It’s been a busy day in the fire department, we’ve taxed all of our resources but I have to commend the fire department, the city police department, DPW, all city agencies, along with outside agencies,” said Chief Leshko.

The fire chief believes employees were working on motorcycles at the time of the fire.

A state police fire marshal was already on scene at both fires and will be back in the morning to continue the investigation.

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