By Pamela Sroka-Holzmann
The Express-Times
WHITEHALL, Pa. — A two-alarm blaze fully engulfed two townhomes and ripped through three others Monday morning in Whitehall, a fire official said.
Whitehall Deputy Fire Marshal Mark Bilder told lehighvalleylive.com that crews were dispatched at about 11 a.m. Monday to the 400 block of Carolina Avenue. Flames had fully engulfed the back of a second home then spreading to the home’s neighbors on the left and right, Bilder said.
Nine adults escaped on their own with some carrying out cats and dogs, Bilder said.
It’s unclear where the fire began, but Bilder said flames spread from the outside, eventually torching the last two townhomes in the strip to the right. The other townhomes eventually became fully ravaged by flames in the back, Bilder said.
Flames spread faster to the other units because the firewalls on the structures were built in the 1970s to 1980s. Under law, firewalls at the time didn’t have to be constructed up to the roof and the firewalls on these townhomes only went up to the top level, keeping the attic areas open, Bilder said.
There was virtually no wind Monday morning, which helped keep some of the flames at bay, he said.
It took firefighters from about a half dozen agencies 35 to 40 minutes to get the flames under control, Bilder said. Crews battled for several hours, not clearing the scene until about 7 p.m. Monday.
Three families — a total of nine adults — were displaced in three of the townhomes.
Three townhomes were deemed uninhabitable with significant fire, water and smoke damage in two and some fire and water damage in the third. The last two townhomes had some smoke odor, but those families were allowed to return, Bilder said.
The American Red Cross Greater Pennsylvania Region is assisting the displaced families with shelter and other needs.
Aside from the Whitehall Fire Department, also responding to the blaze was Woodlawn Fire Department, Greenawalds Fire Company, Catasauqua Fire Department, Coplay Fire Department, Allentown Fire Department, and Laury’s Station Volunteer Fire Company.
The cause of Monday’s fire remains under investigation by the Whitehall Township Fire Marshal.
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