Burned southside homes were vacant, blighted, owned by NY firm, for sale at $132k

SHENANDOAH – Three of the homes burned in Thursday morning’s inferno on Shenandoah’s southside, including one that collapsed, were vacant, in rough shape, and up for sale since August for a hefty price tag.

Firefighters responded to the 400 block of West Poplar Street around 3:45am Thursday morning and found flames showing from the rear of 426 and 424 West Poplar Street.

Flames spread east on Poplar, involving at least 422 and 420 next door.

Less than 15 minutes into the call, the rear half of 426 gave way into a yard next door.

Firefighters from across Schuylkill County as well as Luzerne, Columbia, and Northumberland were dispatched including a tanker task force as water supply issues persisted.

Tankers shuttled water between fill sites at Schuylkill Energy Resources in Yatesville and the Shenandoah Helipad on East Washington Street to the scene.

No injuries were reported and the homes involved were vacant, fire officials said.

Shenandoah Fire Chief Rick Examitas said no one was displaced.

For Sale signs from Ramus Realty Group were on the front porch of 426 and 424 West Poplar, both of which were condemned and in derelict shape at the time the properties were listed for sale in August.

Those two homes and 422, all burned, were offered as a package deal for $132,000, or $44,000 per building.

For reference, a livable home in good condition across Poplar Street – 419 West Poplar, is listed for $60,000 and there are more move-in ready homes in the same price range.

Elite Realty, LLC, of 2 Frederic Place, Suite 1, Yonkers, New York, owns the properties and acquired them for $50,000.

A cause of the fire has not yet been determined and a State Police fire marshal is investigating.

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Kaylee Lindenmuth

Kaylee Lindenmuth is a Shenandoah native with a passion for journalism and the community she calls home.

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