Fire Destroys Two South Side Homes

An early morning fire destroyed two homes in the city's South Side, sent two men to the hospital, and had firefighters from Easton and Wilson battling smoke and flames.

The fire was called in at around 1:30 a.m. Thursday in the 200 block of West Kleinhans Street. According to the city fire department, the Northampton County 911 center got a hang-up call from 251 Kleinhans.

When an Easton patrol officer investigate the call, he found the home on fire, and called it in. Firefighters were on the scene within four minutes after the officer's call, said Easton Fire Captain Henry Hennings.

One resident was found lying on he sidewalk outside; another was hanging from a second story window. He either fell or jumped, and flames soon shot out of that window.

Both men were taken by ambulance to Lehigh Valley Hospital, Cedar Crest. Their conditions and names were not available.

According to Hennings, the flames from 251 Kleinhans soon spread next door to 247, which was unoccupied and under renovations.

All of the city's off-duty firefighters -- as well as firefighters from Wilson -- were called in, Hennings said. The fire was declared under control at 3:13 a.m. Its cause is still under investigation.

Two other residences -- 245 and 255 W. Kleinhans -- sustained minor damage, while the siding on a house across the street melted from the heat. The damage at 245 W. Kleinhans was enough to displace a woman and her children; they were being assisted by the Red Cross, as were the occupants of 251 W. Kleinhans.

Dozens of people -- many of them without shoes, in pajamas -- filled the sidewalks around the blaze. Smoke could be seen -- and smelled -- from West Lincoln Street.

Police shut down part of St. John Street during the fire. Met Ed and UGI workers were on the scene to shut down the utilities.