1 injured, cat missing in Wilkes-Barre blaze
Updated Feb 20, 2021;
One person was injured and a cat was missing after a fire broke out at a Wilkes-Barre home Saturday afternoon, according to firefighters.
The fire at 99 Beech St. was reported around 3:45 p.m. and crews arrived to find fire penetrating the rear of the house, Deputy Fire Chief Alan Klapat said.
A man, the home’s sole occupant, was already outside when crews arrived and had sustained unspecified injuries, he said.
The man was taken to an area hospital, said Klapat, who described the man’s condition as stable.
Crews from Wilkes-Barre and Kingston, meanwhile, got to work putting out the fire, which broke through the walls on the side and front of the home’s upper floor.
Today
Cloudy with light rain developing this afternoon. High 63F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..
Tonight
Rain likely. Low 36F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch. Updated: March 31, 2021 @ 6:15 am
As COVID-19 upends fundraising for Pennsylvaniaâs already strapped volunteer fire services, more departments are trying to recoup money spent on emergency services by billing insurance providers. Shawn Mederâs ringing phone can attest.
Meder, president and owner of Pa Fire Recovery Service LLC, a Macungie-based company that works with fire departments â including 79 in Northeast Pennsylvania â to bill insurance companies, said that prior to COVID-19, heâd get one or two phone calls in a week from fire officials seeking information on how they can collect.
Now, thatâs a normal day.
âCOVID and the lack of fundraising is definitely the driving force right now,â Meder said.