Several people have been forced from their homes after a fast-moving fire badly damaged a double-block residence in the Miners Mills section of Wilkes-Barre on Sunday night. Emergency dispatchers received a call around 10:30 p.m. reporting a fire originating on the porch of the structure located at 18-20 Rear East Beatty Street. When the initial firefighting crews arrived at the scene, they were met with heavy flames that quickly spread from the porch and caused extensive damage to both sides of the double-block home.
Due to the rapid spread and intensity of the blaze, a second alarm was quickly called to bring in additional units and manpower from surrounding stations to save the structure. Wilkes-Barre Fire Chief Jay Delaney reported that two adults and one child were inside the home when the fire broke out, but they fortunately managed to escape the burning building safely without injury. While firefighters were able to successfully rescue two cats from the smoke and flames, chief officials confirmed that one cat tragically died in the fire.
