By Pamela Sroka-Holzmann
The Express-Times
BETHLEHEM TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Two adults and a firefighter were injured and a family dog has gone missing following a swift-moving blaze early Monday that quickly engulfed a Bethlehem Township home.
The fire, which went to a partial third alarm, began shortly before 4 a.m. Monday in the 3700 block of Tiffany Drive. Flames coming from the two-story Colonial were discovered by Palmer Township police on patrol near the border of Palmer and Bethlehem townships, said Michael Stamets, public information officer for the Nancy Run Fire Co.
Crews forced entry into the home and made an aggressive attack on the interior of the building. They worked the heavy flames from the back of the house and those coming through the roof, Stamets said.
It took an estimated 50 firefighters from multiple Northampton County departments about 44 minutes to get the flames under control. The fire wasn’t totally extinguished until 5:13 a.m., he said.
Two adult homeowners escaped on their own, but were later taken to an area hospital for medical evaluations, Stamets said. One adult suffered burns while the other suffered respiratory distress, he said. The family dog, a yellow Labrador mix, couldn’t be located by firefighters.
An 11-year Nancy Run Fire Department veteran also was injured on the job. The 28-year-old was treated at an area hospital for second-degree burns and later released, Stamets said.
It’s unclear what caused Monday’s blaze, which remains under investigation by Bethlehem Township Fire Marshal Angela Kelly.
Aside from the Nancy Run Fire Co. and Bethlehem Township Volunteer Fire Co., also responding were the Palmer Municipal Fire Dept.; Hanover Township Volunteer Fire Co. (Northampton County); Upper Nazareth Fire Dept.; Forks Township Fire Dept.; Vigilance Hose Co. in Nazareth; Catasauqua Fire Dept. (Lehigh County); Hecktown Fire Co. in Lower Nazareth; and Bethlehem Township Volunteer Fire Co.’s Emergency Medical Services.
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