HARRISBURG, Pa. -- A woman who grew up in Shamokin is among two people killed when their apartment in Harrisburg went up in flames.
The fire chief there says their deaths could have been prevented.
Julene Jarosky graduated from Shamokin Area High School back in 1997.
Authorities say she and her boyfriend, Ryan Hoffman, died after their condo caught fire on Sunday.
Friends tell Newswatch 16 Jarosky had just visited Shamokin over the weekend to celebrate a friend's birthday.
"I think most people are just in shock. Some people are just finding out now and asking questions. How can you get used to that?" Erik Anderson of Shamokin said.
The Harrisburg fire chief said the fire started in the couple's living room.
The chief says the couple's lives may have been saved if their building had a sprinkler system, which it doesn't have because current state code does not require it.
A city ordinance dating back to the 1980s mandated buildings over 75 feet high have sprinklers, but this complex is under that height requirement.