PLYMOUTH, Pa. — Crews from all over Luzerne County battled the fire along Morris Street for hours, using thousands of gallons of water to stop the flames from spreading even more.
Calls came in just before 8 a.m. Monday morning, a fire broke out inside a blue home on Morris Street in Plymouth with word of a woman trapped inside.
It then spread to a neighboring property, a tan home right next door.
The fire chief said when his crews arrived on the scene, flames were already shooting out the windows of the second floors of both homes.
"It's very chaotic in the beginning. We're all volunteers; we're all trying to do the best that we can. There was a lot of fire that was already happening before we got here. To get our manpower to do our rescue efforts, we did the best that we can," said Chief Josh Evans, Plymouth Goodwill Hose Company #2.
Fire officials say that the woman was found dead on the second floor of the home where the fire started.
They were able to rescue one man, the husband of the victim, who was then taken to the hospital.
Crews say the fire was a beast to battle.
"So all our homes on these tight little streets, it's an old coal mining town, they're all close together, they're all built the same, and the fire is very heavy inside them. All the dry wood, they're plank houses. So the fire had a very good jump before we even got there," explained Chief Evans.
The family in the other home made it out okay and is being assisted by the Red Cross.
A third home was damaged in the flames, and crews say weather conditions made it difficult to put out.
"The wind did not help us. We went right to rescue operations to try and rescue the victim. We were deploying the hose lines. It was pretty breezy. That moves the fire pretty quick," said Chief Evans.
A fire marshal is still investigating what exactly started the deadly fire in Plymouth.