Harold Moseley thanked his lucky stars when a raging fire that destroyed most of his block stopped short of his house.

But three years later, he's beginning to realize his house wasn't actually spared.In fact, his dream of living in a warm, cozy home in his retirement years appears to have gone up in smoke.The blaze is still affecting the property left along the east side of South Lehigh Street in Tamaqua."What would my house be worth if I tried to sell it," asks Moseley, 69."My insurance company dropped me. I just got a quote from somebody else and they want $2,200 a year. I can't afford that."Fast-spreading blazeMoseley's troubles began in the early morning darkness of July 5, 2011."I was in bed. My granddaughter was here watching TV and she came and said 'Pap, there's a fire!'"The 3 a.m. fire broke out on the first floor of 11 S. Lehigh St. and spread in both directions, affecting row houses on both sides of the street.The fast-moving flames damaged homes from 5 to 13 S. Lehigh. Houses at 5, 7, 9, 11, and 13 S. Lehigh had interior fire damage.There was smoke and water damage to Moseley's place at 15 S. Lehigh, and the heat was so intense it melted vinyl siding on homes across the street at 10, 12, 14 and 18 S. Lehigh.At the time, Tamaqua Fire Chief Tom Hartz indicated that flames were fed when fleeing residents left the front and back doors open.The blaze, believed to have been caused by an electrical issue at a house two doors away, ripped through the block, affecting every resident one way or another.Eleven occupants fled to the street and at least four pets were killed by the inferno.In weeks that followed, all but two of the heavily damaged homes were torn down.The ones left standing consisted of two residences of a double block structure, which consisted of Moseley's house on the corner of West Cottage Avenue and South Lehigh Street, and the attached house at 13 S. Lehigh.Insurance paid for $31,418 in repairs at the Moseley house before his insurance company dropped him.The neighboring house, while still standing, has been condemned and hasn't been occupied since the blaze.Large tarps were installed along the exposed north wall but Moseley said cold air comes in, making it hard for him to heat his house."I used to pay about $1,500 for heat," he said. "Now I pay over $3,000. I may have to move out this winter because I can't afford to heat it. I still owe the oil man $900 from last year."He showed a copy of his most recent insurance quote $2,258 for one year's coverage."I can't afford to pay that. I'm on a limited income," he said. "I used to pay about $900 for insurance before the fire."Moseley, a retired maintenance worker for the city of Easton, said the house next to him has been abandoned by its owner.Courthouse records identify the owner as Nancy Cole.She could not be reached for comment."I ran into the owner just last Friday," said Moseley. "She said if the borough wants it, they can have it."Borough taking stepsTamaqua borough Manager Kevin Steigerwalt said the borough is aware of the situation."We're exploring our options," Steigerwalt said. The house is still privately owned.The borough would like to see the issue remedied and is willing to take appropriate measures.However, the legal process takes time. Steigerwalt said all avenues are being examined at this point.In the meantime, Moseley is disenfranchised about his current predicament and finds it hard to accept the reality that the house he lovingly maintained for 21 years is, at this moment, worth very little."I worked hard for what little bit I have," said Moseley, a widower."If I can't get insurance and this place burnsdown, I've lost everythingI ever worked for in my life."Moseley said all he ever wanted was a nice home to live in, a pleasant place for his grandchildren to come and visit."But when I think about this, I get worked up," he said."I'm afraid I'll have a heart attack over it."