SHAMOKIN - A three-alarm fire claimed the life of a 13-year-old girl found in her attic bedroom and destroyed five South Rock Street row homes Tuesday.
Melissa "Missy" Pangburn died from carbon monoxide poisoning, according to James F. Kelley, Northumberland County coroner. She was pronounced dead at 12:45 p.m. inside her bedroom at 5 S. Rock St.
Pangburn was a seventh-grade honor roll student at Shamokin Area Middle/High School. The district was closed Tuesday due to the threat of a winter storm.
Early signs indicate the fire originated inside Pangburn's home. At least one other person home at the time exited safely and no injuries to neighbors were reported.
While the cause of the fire remains unknown, it is not considered suspicious, according to Raymond Siko II, a city patrolman and the city's fire investigator.
Kelley said there's no way to know whether Pangburn was aware of the fire before she died.
Northumberland County 911 was alerted to the fire at 10:58 a.m. Flames had already engulfed 5 S. Rock St., shooting from a window of a second-floor bedroom at the rear of the home, and were spreading to adjoining homes when emergency responders arrived.
Stairs 'a ball of fire'
City police officers, paramedics and neighbors were among the first on scene. They assisted the first firefighters who arrived by running hose lines and standing a ladder before reinforcements arrived from nine communities.
Alerted that Pangburn was in the attic, some attempted to enter but were turned away by heat and smoke.
"I couldn't get up the steps. They were a ball of fire," said Shamokin police Chief Edward Griffiths.
Patrolman Nate Rhodes climbed to the second story at the rear of the home. He tried to enter a window but flames shot out when it was opened.
Flames spread in each direction through neighboring 1, 3, 7 and 9 S. Rock.
Flames burned through the roof at 5 S. Rock St. and opened a large hole. Damage to the roof raised fears of a collapse as rear dormers sagged at both 5 and 7 S. Rock St. A dormer at the front of the home partially collapsed onto the sidewalk.
The fire was under control and mostly extinguished when firefighters accessed Pangburn's bedroom through neighboring 3 S. Rock St. and found her body about 12:05 p.m. Kelley and James R. Gotlob, chief deputy coroner, arrived shortly thereafter.
Siko, who was assisted at the scene by Kirk Renn, a state police fire marshal, believes the fire originated in the second floor of 5 S. Rock St., but hasn't pinpointed exactly where or how.
Assisting members of Shamokin Fire Bureau at the scene were personnel from Coal Township, AREA Services Ambulance, Mount Carmel, Atlas, Upper Augusta Township, Shamokin Dam, Sunbury, Kulpmont and Ralpho Township.
There were also personnel and apparatus on standby assignments in Shamokin from Danville, Sunbury and Ralpho Township, as well as personnel from Catawissa on standby in Kulpmont.
All five homes were condemned by Rick Bozza, code enforcement officer.