A supervisor with the Schuylkill County Communications Center said the 9:04 a.m. fire at 426 Pine St. was called in by a resident. When the Tamaqua Fire Department arrived on scene, it was upgraded to a working structure fire.

“The cause is definitely electrical,” Fire Chief Jim Connely said, adding it was accidental starting on the third floor.

Firefighters saw smoke and were met with flames. He said damage to the home, which had no working smoke detectors, was minimal. Fire and structural damage were evident on the third floor. The first and second floor had smoke and water damage, he said.

Smoke seen by the residents alerted them to the fire, Connely said, which was contained in minutes. Firefighters cleared the scene by 10:11 a.m., the communications center said.

He identified the residents as Natalia Slivinski and her five children whose names were not provided. Four other people were staying at the home. Amber Volouski, her boyfriend Jorge Mejia and her two children. No one was injured. He is unaware of where they are staying.

The property owner is Debra and Mike Keer, Connely said. The property owner did not have insurance, but the renters did, he said.

A nearby home at 424 had some structural damage, but Frank Folweiler, the homeowner, can stay there. He does have insurance.