Two firefighters injured fighting Shamokin fire

KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL - Firefighters at the scene of a house fire in Shamokin on August 22. 2020.

SHAMOKIN, Northumberland County – Two firefighters were taken to Geisinger – Shamokin Community Hospital, and nine people were displaced after a blaze in this city late Tuesday.

Firefighters were called to the 500 block of Bear Valley Avenue in Shamokin City around 10:30pm for the incident.

Assistant Fire Chief Stephen Jeffery, Shamokin Bureau of Fire, said the fire damaged four homes from 508 to 516 Bear Valley Avenue.

KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL – Shamokin firefighters at the scene of Tuesday’s fire.

The fire, he said, is believed to have started in 512 Bear Valley, and is preliminarily believed to be electrical, though fire investigators will be on site Wednesday morning to confirm.

All four homes were occupied, he said, and six adults and three children are displaced and will be assisted by the American Red Cross.

The fire was upgraded to a second alarm, he said, as the homes are part of a row of 11. Firefighters from Mount Carmel, Kulpmont, Coal Township, Sunbury, and Overlook assisted the Shamokin Bureau of Fire at the scene, while Girardville’s Rangers Hose Co. stood by in Kulpmont.

KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL – A Shamokin fire truck at the scene of Tuesday’s fire.

“When we first got here, we had fire in the rear, we had smoke coming from four homes, so we made the determination to go to second alarm just in case,” Jeffery said.

Two firefighters were injured — one with an eye injury, and another with an ankle injury — and were taken to Geisinger – Shamokin for evaluation, he said.

The fire was contained in about half an hour.

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