PITTSTON – A firefighter was hospitalized and a couple had to jump off a second-story roof after flames tore through an apartment building on Parsonage Street early Monday morning.
A Pennsylvania State Police fire marshal photographs the second floor of an apartment building on Parsonage Street in Pittston that burned early Monday morning. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Clark Van Orden/The Times Leader
Fire Chief James Rooney said the firefighter, whose name wasn’t released, was injured when an electrical line snapped off a utility pole and fell across a firetruck.
“He was standing near the pumps at the truck when the wire fell and draped across (the truck),” Rooney said. “He felt a little discomfort. He’s in good condition and may stay overnight for observation.”
Fire crews from Pittston and neighboring departments responded to the apartment building at 89 Parsonage St. just before 3 a.m. Rooney said the apartment was fully involved when fire crews arrived.
Firefighters battled the low temperatures that froze water on utility lines and shrubs.
“There were some slip and falls,” said Rooney, who remained covered in ice hours after the fire was put out.
Stephanie Jones, 24, a second-floor tenant, said she awoke and smelled smoke.
“When I woke up, I saw the fire,” Jones said. “I yelled for my boyfriend that the building’s on fire.”
Her boyfriend, Derek Shuman, 26, said they gathered a few items but found themselves trapped.
“We couldn’t get out, so I helped her climb out the window and onto the roof,” Shuman said. He said they jumped about 12 feet from the roof to the ground.
Jones said they lost all their possessions, as well as two cats and a chinchilla. Jones said she finished wrapping Christmas presents on Sunday.
The couple, who weren’t injured, are now staying with family.
Heat from the fire damaged the siding on adjacent homes, which were evacuated during the fire.
Rooney said it took about 2 � hours to bring the fire under control.
The cause is under investigation by state police deputy fire marshal Trooper Ron Jarocha and Rooney.
The owner of the building is James Manley, according to Luzerne County Reassessment records.
Parsonage Street was closed for several hours as the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation removed ice from the roadway. It reopened just before 11 a.m.
