Northampton County Director of Emergency Management Services Bob Mateff said his office is investigating the report that miscommunications may have delayed firefighters’ response to a devastating fire this morning in Forks Township.
The fire destroyed a two-family dwelling at 4340 North Delaware Drive. Three people escaped the fire without injury; the American Red Cross of the Greater Lehigh Valley is assisting two families displaced by the fire, according to a news release.
Clark Eick III, of Forks Township, is the property owner, according to county records.
The first call about the fire bounced to Warren County officials, who alerted Northampton County, according to Forks Township Fire Chief Chuck Chapman. Upper Mount Bethel Township firefighters were dispatched, but they couldn’t find the blaze, he said. A Pennsylvania State Police trooper eventually found the fire in Forks and township firefighters were called in, Chapman said.
Bryan Maynard, one of the destroyed dwelling’s residents, said it took about 40 minutes for firefighters to arrive. He lost everything in the fire.
Mateff’s office is speaking with Forks Township and Warren County in an effort to pin down how the miscommunications came about.
"We’re going to get to the bottom of this and make sure actions are taken to prevent this from happening," he said. The investigation should be completed by Friday, he said.
