Crime & Safety
Emmaus Fatal Fire: Coroner Rules 4 Deaths Accidental
Six months after four people were killed in an apartment fire in Emmaus, the Lehigh County Coroner rules the deaths an accident.
The deaths of four people— three adults and a teenager—in a devastating apartment house fire March 17 in Emmaus were accidental, the Lehigh County Coroner's Office said in a release Tuesday.
The coroner had earlier ruled that the four died of smoke inhalation and thermal injuries (burns), but no ruling had been made on the manner of death.
Killed in the fire at 36-38 S. Fifth St. were:
- Melissa Twining, 48, and her son, Montana Twining, 16, who lived on the building's third floor. Montana was an Emmaus High School student.
- David Jenkins, Jr., 65, of 16 S. 10th St., Emmaus.
- Lena Marie Adamo, 56, who lived on the second floor.
Coroners needed to use dental records and DNA to identify the badly burned bodies.
The investigation was conducted by the coroner's office, the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office, the Pennsylvania state police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Emmaus police department.
The coroner's release did not indicate what started the fire. However, police had said that the cause of the fire was not suspicious.
Chief Deputy Coroner Paul F. Hoffman says the investigation into the cause of the fire is closed and the cause remains undetermined.
The building, which has been torn down, was owned by Michael and Loretta Boyko of Macungie. It was a former funeral home that was divided into apartments.
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