Allentown fire at vacant furniture factory displaces 7 families, leaves thousands without power – details | Today’s news
A six-alarm fire tore through a former furniture factory in Allentown in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, forcing several residents to evacuate their homes, a fire official said.
Here’s what we know
According to media reports, the city’s Deputy Fire Chief Jon Steed noted that the fire was reported around 8:40 p.m. (local time) Wednesday at a former factory in the 300 block of North Front Street. At least seven families were displaced as the flames spread to nearby homes, officials said.
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Authorities also said residents were evacuated overnight and power outages affected a number of homes in the area.
Firefighters arrived to find a large, unoccupied commercial building engulfed in intense flames with thick plumes of black smoke visible for miles across the valley. At least 100 firefighters reportedly worked late into the evening to bring the fire under control.
Officials said firefighters launched intensive efforts to contain the blaze, but the extreme heat caused the building to collapse. Firefighters continued to tackle hot spots on Thursday after a massive blaze at a vacant warehouse was brought under control overnight.
Officials noted that at least one firefighter was injured while responding to the incident, but later added that the individual is expected to make a full recovery.
The report indicated that roughly 3,500 homes remained without power at the peak of the incident, and more than 950 remained without power as of 7:00 a.m. (local time) on Thursday.
While the fire was brought under control, the vacant building slated for redevelopment sustained extensive damage, with walls and parts of the roof collapsing. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Allentown Fire Marshal’s Office.
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Residents recount the ordeal
Speaking to 69 News, residents recounted the ordeal and said they could see a huge plume of smoke and flames from miles away. Allentown resident Alfred Williamson said, “It was pretty big, I can’t lie. I was about 20 minutes away. I was driving here and I was like, ‘Boy, that was a big fire.’
Another resident commented: “When I first got here it was really, really bad. You could see ash coming out of the sky. It was basically raining.”
Allentown mayor’s note on fire
Matt Tuerk, the mayor of Allentown, issued a statement after the fire, saying, “Obviously, my heart goes out to our residents who were directly or indirectly affected by this fire. The department is a tight-knit neighborhood, so the impact goes beyond the physical damage. I am proud of our firefighters for their heroic work during this unprecedented fire and are grateful to our residents for their protection and their assistance.”
He added: “The situation is under control and we will soon move on to the cleanup. I am asking our residents who want to help to do two things: first, give our people space to work. This is not the time to come and take pictures or disturb our professionals in their work. Second, if you want to help your neighbors, I hope you will join me in supporting the Greater Pennsylvania Red Cross and try to help them as best you can yourself.”
Residents were advised to take shelter
Officials advised residents in the area to shelter in place until further notice. According to police Capt. Joshua Brubaker, a resident of the 300 block of Front Street was asked to leave his property through his backyard.
Additionally, the Allentown Police Department advised people to avoid the affected area and seek alternate routes. Residents were also asked not to return to their homes until emergency responders determined it was safe to do so and to follow all instructions from police, firefighters and first responders on the scene.
