Flames and plumes of smoke were pouring out of a semi-detached building in the 400 block of Northampton Street, across from the State Theatre. The building extends to Pine Street in the rear, with smoke and flames throughout the structure.
One person was taken by ambulance from the scene, a Northampton County 911 dispatch supervisor said.
Crews were called at 10:45 a.m. for the three-alarm blaze. Firefighters from Easton, Wilson Borough, the Nancy Run Fire Co. in Bethlehem Township plus Williams, Palmer and Forks township stations were at the scene.
Easton police blocked off Northampton and Pine streets around the incident and the city told residents to avoid the area.
Nancy Run said in a Facebook post they were initially called for a 2nd-alarm high occupancy fire with reports of occupants trapped.
A man was seen escaping out of a fourth-floor window overlooking Northampton Street as smoke billowed around him. He sat on the window sill then climbed onto a metal ladder firefighters had sent up.
At 11:19 a.m. trucks blew their horns to recall firefighters inside the building, and firefighters could be seen climbing down the Nancy Run aerial truck.
Smoke continued to billow as light rain began and winds from the east were pushing thick plumes into the West Ward. Numerous people had to evacuate their homes as the ordeal continued.
Multiple trucks attacked the flames, and thick smoke was coming from the structure. Still, the fire grew in the face of streams of water being poured on by firefighters.
A little after 1:30 p.m. the State Theatre announced in a Facebook post the Easton Fire Department requested the show scheduled for Friday night, Riverdance 30, be canceled due to safety concerns on Northampton Street.
