A raging fire early Wednesday morning gutted the second and third floors of a vacant Lansford house.

The blaze happened at about 1:15 a.m. at 336 W. Snyder Ave. When firefighters arrived on the scene, heavy flames were erupting from the upper two floors of the frame structure.According to neighbors, the single home has been vacant since February when the lone occupant died. It has been sold to an out-of-the-area party, neighbors said.The fire was simultaneously discovered by Lansford police officers and by neighbor James Gulla, whose house is only about 4 feet away from the one damaged by fire.Lansford Fire Chief Joe Cannon said the fire jumped to the roof area of the Gulla house at one point and damaged the attic.Despite the intensity of the flames, the volunteer firefighters managed to contain the fire to the vacant building.There were no injuries.Cannon said the cause has not been determined. A state police fire marshal will investigate.When firefighters reached the scene, they attempted to connect to a hydrant about two blocks from the burning structure, but a piece of the hydrant lid broke. Lansford Council member Rose Mary Cannon, who lives near the hydrant, woke her sleeping husband who supplied a pipe wrench to activate the hydrant.Initially, police officer Joshua Tom and Gulla grabbed garden hoses in an attempt to keep the fire from spreading until firefighters got to the scene. Tom, who stood between the two houses with the hose, said large pieces of material began falling from the upper floors. He said he feared the burning building might collapse.Firefighters from Lansford, Summit Hill, Coaldale, Tamaqua, Nesquehoning, and Jim Thorpe were dispatched to the scene.Tom said he and fellow officer Shawn Nunnemacher were driving on Ridge Street and smelled smoke. Soon they spotted the orange glow from the burning Snyder Street structure.Tom said when they got to the scene, he noticed items inside the house and was concerned someone might still be inside. "I was ready to kick the door in," he said, but was then Gulla said nobody lived there.He said at that time, heavy flames were shooting from windows on the second floor.Gulla, who lives at 338 W. Snyder Ave. with his wife, Dorothy, had returned home from working at Mack Trucks in the Lehigh Valley about 15 minutes before the fire was discovered and didn't notice anything out of the ordinary."I then heard cracking. I looked out the window and there was a big glow," Gulla said. "When I came out the front door, the cops were here."He said Dorothy arrived after him, heard a crackling sound, smelled fire and looked out the back window. "She saw flames," he said. "The place was engulfed."Karissa Montgomery lives with her husband Jeff on Front Street across from the burned structure."It's been empty since February," she said, noting that someone appeared to be in the process of moving into the building.Karissa said she was alerted to the fire when she heard Dorothy screaming. She didn't realize what the commotion was about so she turned her lights on and off.Karissa added, "I looked out and saw all orange. The flames were bright orange and were mostly in back of the building."The fire was brought under control in about 45 minutes.