A state police fire marshal is still investigating what caused a deadly blaze at the Tamaqua ABC Hi-Rise Friday morning.

One resident was killed in the blaze, which broke out at 6:15 a.m. Friday. The fire was isolated to one apartment on the northeast corner of the building’s top floor. The resident had not been identified Friday night.

The smoke from the fire caused three other people to be hospitalized, including a Tamaqua police officer who helped to evacuate residents from the 16th floor.

A building maintenance supervisor, who helped top-floor residents evacuate, opened vents which reduced the amount of smoke in the building.

“The smoke was very toxic, very hot. Relieving the smoke in the fire floor helped a lot,” Tamaqua Fire Chief James R. Connely said.

Because of damage caused in the fire, the borough’s code enforcement department condemned the entire 16th floor of the building, three units on the 15th floor, and three additional units on lower floors.

Several floors worth of apartments were checked to ensure there was no damage from smoke or water, or any damage to electrical circuits.

Residents of the top five floors, as well as any residents who evacuated or left their rooms, were temporarily kept out of the building as the apartments were checked. They were able to shelter in the common areas of the building as they waited for their rooms to be cleared.

The American Red Cross provided a warming station at a church across the street.

Firefighters helped residents retrieve any necessary medication that they left inside their rooms when they evacuated.

The Red Cross said 40 residents were displaced. Most of the residents on the 16th floor were picked up by family members. Residents from the lower floors were allowed to return to their units in the afternoon.

There were EMTs on hand from Tamaqua Community Ambulance, Penn Mahoning Ambulance, New Ringgold Area Ambulance, Mahoning Valley Ambulance and McAdoo Fire Company, as well as paramedics from Lehighton and Pottsville.

The first people to arrive were the building maintenance supervisor and the officer, who opened a door to vent smoke from the building, and helped residents from the top floor evacuate.

Fire crews tried to rescue the resident but were blocked by intense heat and flames inside the apartment. An oxygen tank in the apartment exploded, causing the windows of the apartment to blow out.

The building was built before sprinklers were required. It does have firewalls designed to prevent a fire from spreading between apartments.

Many of the residents floors below the 16th followed the building’s fire protocols, staying in their rooms until firefighters told them it was safe to come out.

“Every resident when they move into the building is given a fire action sheet, what they should do in case of fire. Part of the protocol is to shelter in place unless they feel that they are in danger or they are distressed,” Connely said.

All four Tamaqua Fire Companies responded to the fire. Summit Hill, Lansford and Coaldale all provided support. West Penn Police handled a Life Flight landing site for a resident who suffered from smoke inhalation. Their condition wasn’t immediately available.

The Tamaqua officer who was hospitalized was cleared and released from the hospital on Friday.

The high-rise was built in 1968 and originally owned by Schuylkill County. Tamaqua Borough took over from the 1980s-1990s before selling it to the current owner, the Alliance for Building Communities.

Employees in the building office said they could not comment. The nonprofit’s executive director could not be reached for comment on Friday.