Three people have died in separate house fires on Luzerne County's West Side in less than 48 hours.
Boys ages 11 and 13 died after flames swept through a home Wednesday night on North Welles Street in Kingston. A woman died in a Friday morning fire in an Edwardsville home, officials said.
Officials have not released the victims' names.
Luzerne County Coroner Dion Fernandes said the Edwardsville victim was a 64-year-old woman, but he would not release her name Friday afternoon until her family was notified. Fernandes said the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
Kingston fire claims brothers' lives
Kingston Police initially said one juvenile was killed and another was in critical condition after the fire at at 66-68 N. Welles St.
Lehigh County Coroner Daniel A. Buglio issued a news release Friday confirming a 13-year-old boy died Thursday night at Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest in Allentown, from injuries suffered in the Kingston fire.
"Out of respect for the family during this tragic time, the name of the child will not be released so the family may grieve privately," Buglio's release said. An autopsy is scheduled for Saturday morning.
Fernandes confirmed Friday the 11-year-old boy died at the fire scene.
Wyoming Valley West School District officials acknowledged both brothers were district students.
"There are no words that can truly express the heartbreak our district feels. We mourn alongside the family, friends, classmates, and staff members who are impacted by this unimaginable loss," district officials said in a statement posted to Facebook.
Kingston police organized a donation drive for surviving family members who lost their home. Information about the drive can be found on Facebook.
There also are two GoFundMe accounts set up to assist family members:
The Kingston/Forty Fort Fire Department is also accepting donations for the family. At the fire house Friday, Fire Chief Frank Guido described community support as "incredible."
"They've been bringing clothes, even furniture," he said.
Guido said his department was dispatched to North Welles Street about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday. Flames had engulfed the house when firefighters arrived.
"I called it controlled chaos," Guido said.
He said the fire started on the first floor. The boys' mother was able to escape from the first floor.
Guido said the father of the family helped police get his daughter out a second-story window before jumping out himself.
The boys were trapped inside. One boy, Guido said, was on the phone with a 911 dispatcher - something his department teaches children to do in fire safety courses.
"If you can't get out ... a window, call 911," Guido said. "The 911 dispatcher helped ... talk him through it, but it was just too late by the time our guys got to him."
Guido said the fire will likely be ruled accidental and its cause undetermined.
"It's not a suspicious fire in any way," he said.
He said the house was unsafe and "in danger of collapse." By Friday afternoon, crews had demolished it.
Firefighters: Dozens of cats inside Edwardsville home
Edwardsville Deputy Fire Chief Ralph Castner confirmed a woman died in the borough fire that broke out about 8:30 a.m. Friday.
He described the home as a “hoarder” situation with about 40 cats were inside. He said crews rescued three cats, and the SPCA was on scene to assist.
State police fire marshals and about six other area fire departments responded, Castner said.
He declined to identify the victim or her age, but said she was the home's only resident and alone at the time. The fire's cause is under investigation. West Side Regional Police said in a social media post that "preliminary assessment indicates that the fire originated in the front of the residence."
Castner called the home as a "ball of flames" as firefighters arrived, and they could not reach the woman in time.
Mark Wood, a neighbor, said the neighborhood knew her as "The Cat Woman."
"Never did we imagine she had as many as 40 but she'd had trays of food out front all the time on her back deck. She had cardboard boxes, like a motel of cardboard boxes for them," he said. "She'd spend her own money to care for them. She just had a love for God's little four-legged creatures."
Wood only knew the victim's first name, Rita. He said she treated her house like a rescue for cats. One former house cat, became attached to Wood. He named her Callie.
"She then, for the last couple of months, has been living on our porch." he said. "We understand she was not one of the survivors."
West Side police asked any witnesses or anyone with video footage or other information to contact their detective, Michael Lehman, or Luzerne County 911.
'An awful week' for Kingston, Edwardsville fire departments
Guido brought in counselors to help firefighters deal with the aftermath.
"We had a large turnout of multiple firefighters, multiple EMTs (emergency medical technicians), multiple paramedics. It was really, really good for them. People were open and honest," he said. "And then the union came in last night and they had another nice session ... with everyone else."
The Edwardsville Fire Department helped with the Kingston fire. Then, Guido said, the Kingston/Forty Fort department joined them Friday in Edwardsville.
"This has been a very, to put it bluntly, awful week for our department, and we work hand in hand with Edwardsville," he said. "So they were with us. Now, we were with them today. It's just been an awful week."
Stats: Half all home-heating fires hit in December-February
This week's fatal blazes come at a time of year when the nation typically sees a uptick in house fires, and the recent cold spell has amplified that trend.
According to the U.S. Fire Administration, about half of all home-heating fires occur in December, January and February.
The Red Cross Disaster Action Team responded to more than 260 house fires in December in Pennsylvania, according to the American Red Cross of Greater Pennsylvania.
“Home fires are the most frequent disasters we respond to, and we see the risk rise during the winter months as families rely more on cooking and heating equipment,” said Jorge Martinez, CEO of the American Red Cross of Greater Pennsylvania. “Here in Pennsylvania, our volunteer teams respond to home fires far too often, but many of these emergencies are preventable. Taking simple safety steps can help protect families and save lives.”
Safely heating your home
Space heaters are often the cause of house fires during the winter. The U.S. Fire Administration found that 1 in every 7 home fires and 1 in every 5 home fire deaths involves heating equipment.
At the scene of the Edwardsville fire Friday afternoon, Castner said this winter has been "rough" on fire departments everywhere.
"Especially with the cold spell, we had people using extra heaters and stuff in their house and not properly putting them into plugs and [using] long extension cords," he said. "Then this is what we end up with."
Friday's fire in Edwardsville is still under investigation, but Castner stressed safety tips like checking smoke alarms and never using an extension cord to plug in a space heater.
Place space heaters on hard and nonflammable surfaces, like ceramic floors and not on rugs or carpets or near bedding or drapes.
The U.S. Fire Administration recommends plugging only one heater into an outlet at a time. Be sure to turn the space heater off every time you exit the room or go to bed. Keep anything that can potentially burn — and children and pets — at least three feet away from the heater.
Do not use cooking ranges or an oven to heat the house. Do not leave burning fireplaces unattended. Check that all embers in a fireplace are extinguished before going to bed or leaving the house. Keep embers in the fireplace with a glass or metal fire screen. Store cooled ashes in a tightly covered metal container. Keep that container at least 10 feet away from the house and any other buildings.
Get furnaces, chimneys, fireplaces, wood and coal stoves inspected annually and cleaned if necessary.
Keep portable generators outdoors, away from windows and far away from the house.
Install carbon monoxide detectors and get them tested at least once a month.
