It took only seven hours for three large eastern Schuylkill County fires, located within a 25-mile radius, to claim two lives, displace 15 people, destroy seven homes, gut a large warehouse, and raze a Christian retreat complex early Thursday morning.

The third and most devastating fire, which claimed the lives of two women, destroyed seven homes, and displaced 15 people, ignited about six hours after the first fire began.The fire whistle sounded at 5:22 a.m. for the 70-90 block of Water Street in New Philadelphia.Firefighters from all over arrived on scene to see large billowing clouds of smoke and rising-fire emanating from an entire block of row homes from 74-86 Water St.Despite their quick response and fast actions, the bodies of 56-year-old Maureen Wallace, and her 34-year-old daughter, Marietta Wallace, of 78 Water St., were recovered nine hours after the fire started.They also owned two pets, a cat "Margo" and dog "Jaja." The two women owned and operated a bar, "Vettes" in New Philadelphia.Neighbors, friends, and community members were in shock and mourning when they heard of the deaths. Many believe the fire was the work of an arsonist.A number of unsolved arsons and various other unexplained fires have devastated residents of New Philadelphia, especially on Water Street, over the past few months, and years.This was the first fire to claim any lives.Thursday's fire was the latest in a string of fires in the borough in the last two years. The latest was a tire and garbage fire set on Tucker Hill in New Philadelphia on Oct. 13. Another fire razed a vacant home at 47 Silver Creek Rd., Blythe Township, near New Philadelphia, on Oc. 17. An arson fire was ignited on Oct. 7 in the former Josh's Restaurant located at 35 Water St. That fire also claimed homes from 37 - 43 Water St.On Oct. 17 of last year, another arson fire completely destroyed Moe's Pub, a popular hangout located at 57 Water St., as well as heavily damaging two adjacent homes located at 53 and 55 Water St. In late 2008, an arsonist also burned and destroyed an unoccupied home at 45 Wiggan St. on Nov. 11. That fire also damaged a vacant home at 47 Wiggan St.Also in August of 2008, a fire was ignited at 45 Wiggan St.Immediately following Thursday's blaze, police taped-off a large perimeter around the destroyed block of row homes, as the location is considered a crime scene. Detectives point out that this is standard procedure when deaths are involved.A state police major crime task force, which consisted of a number of state fire marshals and a large number of detectives, spent many hours going door-to-door interviewing neighbors and sifting through all the blackened remains. Trained state police dogs were also brought in. One of the row homes destroyed, 80 Water St., also served as the Dolores Beauty Shop."We lived here our whole life," nearby resident, Katina Chiccini, stated. "It is the saddest I've seen it. We lost people we cared about."One of the homes evacuated included a newborn baby. Ironically, the night before the fire, volunteer community members in New Philadelphia held a crime watch meeting during which some of the discussion evolved around the unsolved arsons of the past months.Power was out for most of the day for surrounding residents, while firefighters battled the blaze and investigators sorted through the rubble. A lot of New Philadelphia residents, who blame this fire on arson, asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation. They said they are scared and want this person caught. Responding to the scene were volunteer firefighters from almost 20 fire companies, numerous ambulances, and New Philadelphia and Tamaqua Fire Police. State Police fire marshals, detectives, and other investigators are still investigating the cause of the blaze."The hardest thing is dealing with the casualties," said New Philadelphia Fire Chief Al Gilbert.Trooper Edward F. Maloney is asking anyone with any information concerning this fire or others in the borough to call the Frackville barracks at (570) 874-5300 or the PA Crime Stoppers at 1-800-4PA-TIPS (1-800-472-8477).Warehouse guttedThe first of the three fires erupted around midnight at the block-long, two-story JEM Contracting warehouse, formerly the Union Knitting Mills factory, located at W. William and St. John streets in Schuylkill Haven.It took almost three hours for firefighters from 20 fire companies to gain control of the unyielding warehouse fire.The immense fire also resulted in the closure of nearby roads and railroad tracks while firefighters laid water hoses to fight the fire. Firefighters were extra careful fighting this blaze because of the storage of various fossil fuels and a 200-pound air compressor inside the warehouse.Emergency personnel evacuated a man and his pets who were living in a trailer next door. People living in adjacent structures were also evacuated. One past employee and another neighbor stated the warehouse was filled with oil (grease from the sewing machines) as well as stacks of wood, and was a disaster waiting to happen.Firefighters, ambulance, rescue teams, and fire police responded quickly from many surrounding communities in both Schuylkill and Berks counties.Currently, there is no word on the building's primary use or how the fire ignited. The road surrounding the warehouse is still closed as preparations for partial demolition of the structure are planned over the next few days. A state police fire marshal is still investigating the cause of the blaze.Despite initial reports and rumors that a person was still on the second floor of the warehouse, no injuries were reported.Christian retreatA few hours later, just before 3 a.m., while many firefighters were still on-scene at the warehouse fire, emergency crews were called to another large structure fire located on Christian Lane, north of SR895 in New Ringgold, West Penn Township.When firefighters arrived they found the main 300-foot complex of the 36-year old 375-acre Blue Mountain Christian Retreat fully engulfed in flames. This hub housed the non-denominational church/worship hall, an auditorium, and dining and kitchen areas.Some already-deployed firefighters had to be reassigned to West Penn fire, to help slow down the fire. The fire and glow in the sky could be spotted from more than four miles away as flames reached almost 60 feet high at times.Since there was very little firefighters could do to save the main building, more than 200 hundred firefighters focused their attention on saving an adjacent building at the retreat, called the fireside building, which houses a gift shop, book store and three offices.Propane tanks were also a serious concern. First responders at the scene said they saw and heard propane tanks, located near the front of the main building, exploding and flying high in the air. During the fire, the remaining propane tanks and a larger fuel tank were continuously doused with water to keep them from exploding or catching fire.Because of the location of the retreat, fire companies had to use tanker trucks to fill numerous water ponds that fed a continuous amount of water. Firefighters were called back to re-extinguish the fire as it rekindled again around 4 p.m. Some onlookers said that fires aren't routine here, but have happened in the past, also pointing out a large fire occurred here more than 20 years ago.All that is left of the large complex is a stone chimney, bent steel I-beam, and blackened remains.In prior years the retreat was able to accommodate 400 guests, and had its auditorium enlarged to seat 450 people. The cafeteria was able to seat more than 300.During non-summer months, the retreat staffs about 12 full-time workers who live on the grounds, plus many part-time workers from the local community.The Blue Mountain Christian Retreat was founded by Chris Dornbierer, and his late wife, Margaret, natives of Switzerland.In addition to the many fire companies, Tamaqua and Lehighton ambulances and West Penn and Tamaqua fire police also responded.The amount of damage caused to the complex is estimated to be more than $750,000. Some firefighters on scene pointed out that the heavy amount of damage may prevent anyone from finding the cause of the fire. A state police fire marshal and agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) continue to investigate the cause of the blaze, but said the fire didn't appear suspicious. It is routine for ATF to get involved when a religious organization is involved.No injuries were reported."It's hard to believe that this happened," said the retreat's general manager Mark Grasso, "but we know that from the beginning God founded this place, and I believe he'll build it again."OverworkedfirefightersHigh winds, cold temperatures, overworked firefighters and spread-out manpower made fighting the fires much harder. Some responders spent the entire day volunteering their time at two or all three of the fires.Some of the volunteer emergency responders even chose to lose pay by not going to work. All the exhausted firefighters, fire police, and other emergency responders stayed on-scene at each fire location to prevent flare-ups, as well as preserve the scene's integrity before and during the state police fire marshal's investigations.Volunteers from the Schuylkill and Northumberland Red Cross are helping the displaced families in New Philadelphia, and also provided food and drinks at all three fires to all the emergency responders.Volunteers from the Tamaqua Volunteers community initiative group, as well as neighbors and local businesses, such as Burger King, McMullen's Market, and Neapolitan Italian Eatery, also provided pizza, snacks, and drinks to all the emergency responders on scene at each fire.Residents and nearby homeowners at all the fires displayed their appreciation toward the hard-working firefighters who responded to all the early morning fires.The causes to all three fires are still unknown, and the investigations are ongoing.