OLYPHANT, Pa. — A fire that started in the kitchen of a Lackawanna County man's family home Sunday morning quickly spread and caused massive damage.
Firefighters in Olyphant hurried to the corner of Sanderson Avenue and Elm Street shortly before 9:30 a.m. to try and extinguish the smoky blaze.
Malachy Crane, who has lived at the Sanderson Avenue house his entire life, said he woke up Sunday and went to a nearby grocery store to go shopping.
As Crane returned, the 54-year-old said he saw smoke rise into the sky and realized it came from his home. No one was inside when he left for the store, he said.
Smoke from the blaze was visible for miles. At one point, tongues of flames shot more than a dozen feet from the roof. The damage appeared to be worst in the back of the home, where the kitchen was located. Heat from the fire melted and warped the siding of a neighbor's home.
The fire appeared largely under control by about 10:15 a.m.
A state police fire marshal is tasked with investigating how the fire started. The fire marshal interviewed Crane, snapped photographs of the scene and checked on the home's interior after the fire was doused.
As of Sunday afternoon, the fire investigator said he had not yet determined a cause but said he did not believe it to be suspicious.
No injuries were reported, though a few of the firefighters had their blood pressure checked after the blaze was extinguished.
Lackawanna County assessment records show the property has been owned by Crane's family since July 1969.
