Fast-Moving Fire Damages Slatington Garages, Apartments
A fire that broke out Monday in the 600 block of Main Street in Slatington heavily damaged three garages and caused significant smoke damage to nearby apartment buildings.
Crews from Slatington, Walnutport, Friedens, Emerald, and Lehigh Township responded swiftly and kept the flames from spreading further.
The rear of 635 and 627 Main Street, which housed four apartments, sustained damage.
Although no one was hospitalized, one firefighter and several residents were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation.
Ron Hausman, Slatington’s Emergency Management Director, evacuated six adults, three children, an infant, five cats, and two dogs to safety at St. John’s Lutheran Church.
The apartments are currently uninhabitable due to heavy smoke damage. Once the fire was out, residents were briefly allowed to retrieve personal belongings.
Volunteers at St. John’s provided food and drinks for the displaced residents, then accompanied them to the 2nd Chance Shop — run by the church — where they were invited to take anything they needed.
The fire also forced the closure of the Slatington Post Office and the China Inn Restaurant for the rest of the day.
The Department of Agriculture will inspect the restaurant before allowing it to reopen due to the amount of smoke that entered the building.
Slatington Assistant Fire Chief Justin Frable described the difficult conditions inside.
“I was inside checking for extension of fire by making holes in walls,” he said. “The smoke was so much, visibility was very limited.” Assistant Chief Jason Nicholas praised the coordinated response.
“The teamwork today for the fire was just outstanding,” he said. “Friedens Fire Company was first on the scene and started to knock the fire down.
The second alarm brought in Slatedale, Neffs and Palmerton. RIT (Rapid Intervention Team) was Greenawalds and Catasauqua. Rehab was Macungie EMS, Woodlawn Fire and Lehighton EMS.
“ It’s always best to have more than you may need.” The cause of the fire is under investigation by Fire Marshal Austin Berger.