Fire damages four homes in Palmerton

Crews from three counties responded to a house fire at the 200 block of Lehigh Ave. in Palmerton on Friday evening.

“We were called at about 5:15, 5:20 tonight for smoke in the area, a possible house fire,” Palmerton Assistant Chief Mike Kercsmar said.

“We came out and responded right away. There was already an active fire burning when we got here. We have a couple units from Palmerton. We also have Aquashicola, Bowmanstown, Lehigh Township, Walnutport.”

A home at 245 Lehigh Ave. seemed to sustain the worst damage, though surrounding buildings may have sustained some smoke damage.

Reports from neighbors at the scene indicated that the origin of the fire was a propane tank explosion on the deck in the rear of the house, though the reports could not be confirmed by fire personnel. Kercsmar said the state police fire marshal was on his way to the scene to investigate.

Kercsmar said that mutual aid was called in to rotate crew members due to the extreme heat.

No injuries were reported, though crews were still searching the premises for pets.

“We’ll be here for some time yet. We have a couple hot spots to work on, but as for right now, the majority of the fire is under control,” Kercsmar said around 6:45 p.m.

“The guys did a great job tonight, especially with the weather. They did a very good job.”

The Red Cross was providing emergency assistance to 13 people displaced by the fire.