Summit Hill fire leaves many homeless

A number of people were displaced after flames caused heavy damage to an apartment building in Summit Hill early Sunday morning.

The fire was reported shortly before 4:30 a.m. at 30 W. White St.

When firefighters arrived on the scene, roaring flames were shooting up the front of the top two floors of the three-story structure.

All the occupants managed to escape safely, and firefighters contained the blaze to the apartment house.

Ronald Yuricheck, assistant fire chief in Summit Hill, said the cause of the fire hasn’t been determined.

He said it appears it began on the second floor of the structure.

A state police fire marshal was summoned to help with the investigation.

In addition, the Summit Hill Police Department is also involved in the investigation into the cause.

Troy Christman lives on the first floor with his girlfriend Taylor Arnold, and their 2½-year-old son, Troy Christman Jr.

Arnold said her brother, James McCollins, also was at the home when the fire occurred. Arnold rescued a pet rabbit from her apartment, but her four pet cats were missing.

A neighboring first floor apartment is occupied by Clinton Schroeder, Tiara Gott, their 3-month-old daughter and an 8-year-old daughter. A GoFundMe has been set up for the Schroeder/Gott family to cover replacing their belongings and help with paying rent on a new apartment. It can be found at https://bit.ly/2n3QtNT.

Both apartments got smoke and water damage, Yuricheck said.

A man, whose name was not available, reportedly lived alone in the apartment where the heaviest fire damage happened.

Marlene Matrazzo and her 92-year-old mother, Mary Risavy, live in a neighboring attached dwelling, which was damaged by smoke.

Responding to the scene were volunteers from fire departments from Summit Hill, Lansford, Coaldale, Tamaqua, Nesquehoning and Mahoning Township. Also at the scene were fire police from several communities, Lehighton Ambulance and Mahoning Valley Ambulance.

Knocking on doors

Three neighboring residents are credited with helping to rouse the apartment building occupants and others close to the fire scene. They are Richard Boyd, Ernest Smith and a third person who wasn’t identified. They knocked on doors and screamed for the occupants to leave the buildings.

Boyd said he lives across the street from the fire scene at 19 W. White St. He said the fire’s crackling sound woke him. When he looked out his front window, “flames were coming out the front (of the apartment building) and going up the exterior.”

Immediately, he raced to the scene and banged on doors to alert the people in harm’s way. Having been a former volunteer firefighter for 45 years, he helped the responders hook hoses onto the fire hydrants.

Matrazzo said she was awakened by Boyd’s knock on her door.

She said, “Rich Boyd was banging on my door. He said ‘I’ll knock the door down if you don’t answer.’ ”

At that time, none of her smoke detectors or carbon monoxide alarms sounded.

Arnold said she, too, was sleeping when someone banged on her apartment door.

She said there was smoke in her kitchen at that time. She and Christman have been living in the apartment since March.

She said the family will stay with relatives.

Schroeder and Gott said they moved into their apartment in June.

“We were up feeding the baby,” Schroeder said. “Tiara heard a loud pop and banging. We looked out and flames were shooting out the second floor window.”

Yuricheck praised the mutual aid from surrounding fire departments.

“Everyone did a great job,” he said. “We had a really quick knock-down. It didn’t get into (Matrazzo’s) house.”

Living a few doors away from the fire scene is Joseph Perilli. He watched with concern as the firefighters doused the flames and offered victims a temporary safe haven.

He said, “You don’t think about the equipment the fire departments have until you need it. It’s worth our tax dollars when you see something like this.”

The fire was brought under control in about 40 minutes.

Dave Skutnik, regional communications director for the American Red Cross Eastern PA, said Sunday night that the Red Cross is providing emergency assistance for lodging, food and clothing to the families displaced by the fire.