Two people were injured and flown by medical helicopter to a regional hospital during a massive house fire in Palo Alto, outside Pottsville, Tuesday morning.
Calls went out at about 9:30 this morning for a report of a fully-involved fire at 507 W. Savory St.
As firefighters arrived, an unidentified woman jumped from a third-story window and a man needed to be rescued from a porch roof on the second floor of the property.
They were rushed from the scene in separate ambulances.
They were then flown by medical helicopter to a regional hospital for treatment. An update on their condition is not yet available.
A Palo Alto firefighter reportedly injured his knee in the response and was being treated at a local hospital for that injury, according to borough Fire Chief Bill Buckingham, who addressed media at 2 p.m. Tuesday.
Buckingham said he encountered a large fire from the back of the building when he arrived. Thick smoke was pouring from the building.
A passerby told The Canary at the scene this morning that she called 9-1-1 when she saw fire from a shed behind the house. Fire, aided by a strong wind, quickly spread to the house at 507. The building appears completely gutted by fire.
An adjoining home at 509 W. Savory St., which was condemned and abandoned, was also completely destroyed by fire.
A home at 501 W. Savory St. suffered minor damage, namely melted siding.
Buckingham said a major challenge with fighting this fire was access to water. A retention basin was set up on Bacon St., at the bottom of a steep hill near the scene of the fire.
Firefighters from across Schuylkill County were called to the scene to provide assistance in getting the blaze under control.
A State Police Fire Marshal is currently at the scene investigating a cause of Tuesday morning’s blaze.
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