State police investigators have determined that improperly discarded fireworks likely sparked the devastating early morning house fire that killed a 23-year-old man in Wayne County on Tuesday. Emergency crews initially rushed to the residence along Seventh Street in Honesdale around 2:30 a.m., finding the single-family home heavily engulfed in flames. The Wayne County Coroner previously identified the victim who was unable to escape the burning structure as Sheldon Endriss.
According to state police fire marshals, Endriss, his sister, and her boyfriend had been setting off fireworks earlier in the evening before placing the debris into a plastic bag on the front porch. The fire chief confirmed that arriving firefighters successfully rescued the sister and her boyfriend from the burning building, both of whom suffered severe burns and were hospitalized, though an update on their medical conditions has not been released. Following an examination, authorities have officially ruled the deadly blaze accidental.
