CARBONDALE, PA — A 55-year-old man died and four family members were displaced following a early Sunday morning house fire in Carbondale.
Emergency crews responded to a reported structure fire along Canaan Street around 5:00 a.m.. Five residents were inside the home when the fire broke out. Officials reported that household members woke up to smoke, prompting a neighbor to set up a ladder outside a second-story window to help family members escape.
While four occupants safely escaped the burning structure, 55-year-old Michael Wallace reentered the home in an effort to rescue a pet cat. Wallace was unable to make it back outside, and first responders later recovered his body inside the charred residence.
The cause of the blaze remains under investigation by local authorities and state police, though officials indicated the fire is not considered suspicious at this time.
