Witnesses Say Woman Jumps from Burning Home in Pottsville

(Photos: Coal Region Canary) Fire crews responded to a blaze at 711 West Market St. in Pottsville where a woman reportedly jumped from the second story and was flown to a trauma center.

A woman jumped from a burning home in Pottsville Tuesday and was flown to a nearby trauma center.

At about 1:20 p.m., Pottsville fire officials were summoned to 711 W. Market St. for reports of an active structure fire. When they quickly arrived on the scene, they found the building in flames and a woman on the front porch.

Pottsville Fire Chief Jim Misstishin commands the scene from West Market St.

Pottsville Fire Chief Jim Misstishin says the woman was conscious but witnesses told him she’d jumped from the second story of the burning building. She was flown to a Lehigh Valley Hospital trauma unit. Her identity and extent of her injuries are unknown.

Misstishin said several firefighters also sustained minor injuries as they managed to get the blaze under control. He said it took a little more than an hour to get the fire under control.

The department’s response to the blaze was faster than normal. Misstishin said there were units nearby investigating a carbon monoxide call at the time.

Neighboring 713 W. Market St. also sustained damage but it appears the brunt of the fire affected the second story of the duplex at 711 W. Market St.

Fire crews from Pottsville and surrounding areas responded to the call. The mid-day scene also drew numerous curious spectators.

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