Stanley P. Brozana Jr., 72 – Served 37 Years as Orwigsburg Police Chief
One woman died in a fire at a townhouse in Pottsville Friday night.
Firefighters from the city were dispatched to 1126 W. Arch St. at 9:22 p.m. Friday (Feb. 14). According to Asst. Fire Chief Dan Kelly, West End Hose Co., firefighters encountered heavy fire pushing out of the front of the townhouse.
Residents in the neighboring homes, at 1128 and 1124 W. Arch St. evacuated to the rear of the row homes. Three residents in total evacuated and were being taken care of Friday night by Pottsville Housing Authority, which owns the properties.
Inside 1126 W. Arch St., deputies from the Schuylkill County Coroner’s Office recovered the body of a female who died in the fire. Schuylkill County Coroner David Moylan has confirmed to The Canary on Saturday that the victim is identified as 80-year-old Gail Babcock.
A post-mortem CT scan will likely be conducted on Sunday, Moylan says.
It took approximately 30 minutes to get Friday night’s fire under control. All seven fire companies from Pottsville Fire Dept. responded to the scene. Schuylkill Haven Fire Dept. Rapid Intervention Team was also dispatched.
Two firefighters suffered minor injuries caused by falls on ice, Kelly said.
Fire crews from Port Carbon and Minersville were on standby during the duration of the incident.
A Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshal along with Pottsville Bureau of Police and Pottsville Fire Dept. are all investigating the cause of Friday night’s fire.
(NOTE: This article has been updated to include the name of the fire victim after our interview with the Schuylkill County Coroner.)
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