The cause of a fire that destroyed three homes and severely damaged another in the Bunker Hill section of Pottsville and left 10 people homeless on Friday remains under investigation.
Firefighters were called to 217 Schuylkill Ave. about 3:40 p.m., where they were met with heavy fire and smoke coming from the rear of the home.
Flames quickly spread east, engulfing the top floors of homes at 213 and 215 Schuylkill Ave., before firefighters from Pottsville and surrounding communities brought the stubborn fire under control. It also spread west, severely damaging a home at 219 Schuylkill Ave.
Pottsville Assistant Fire Chief William DeWald and city police Patrolman Joseph Murton Jr., a fire investigator, were at the scene Saturday to begin sifting through the burned debris to try and determine exactly how the fire started.
Murton said investigators believe the fire started in the back of the home at 217, occupied by Robert Weiss and his girlfriend, whose name was not available.
"We have a pretty good idea, now we want to get in there and see what we can find out," Murton said.
From there, he said, flames moved into 215 Schuylkill Ave., occupied by Leo and Mildred Salle, and then to 213 Schuylkill Ave., occupied by David and John Joy.
"There was intense fire to the rear of 217," Murton said, noting that he was one of the first people on scene because he was on duty as a police officer at the time.
DeWald said firefighters used nine hose lines from a number of apparatuses to battle the blaze.
A drawback, he said, was gaining access to the rear of the Joy home at 213 Schuylkill Ave., since the building was cluttered with boxes and various other types of debris.
"One of the problems we had was getting into that house and up to the second floor," DeWald said. "When we couldn't get in, we used a (deck) gun to hit it from the outside."
Fire eventually spread to the rear of 219 Schuylkill Ave., occupied by Nicole Spitler and her three young daughters, Tasheea Ellison, 11, Kayenna Brown, 5, and Naszere Brown, 2.
Spitler said she was home with her two younger daughters and had no clue there was a fire raging in the next house.
"I didn't know anything until they (firefighters) kicked in the door," she said. Spitler said she and her two daughters escaped uninjured, while her oldest daughter was at the home of a friend.
Spitler said she went there after getting out of her home.
"I had to see her, I had to hold her to realize she was OK, too," she said.
DeWald said the roof and top floor of the Joy home eventually collapsed due to fire damage and the weight of the water.
Firefighters struggled for hours before finally bringing the flames under control just before 7 p.m. They were called back again about midnight to check on an area of the buildings where the fire was said to still be burning. On Saturday, a report was made about 4:45 p.m. for a rekindle at 213 Schuylkill Ave.
DeWald said firefighters had no issues getting water to the scene using two hydrants, one at Second Street and Schuylkill Avenue, and another at Fourth Street and Schuylkill Avenue.
As a precaution, he said a large diameter hose was stretched to the scene from hydrants at Fourth and Mahantongo streets and Second and Centre streets.
"We didn't have to rely too heavily on those two hydrants," he said.
On Nov. 2, firefighters were in the Bunker Hill section of the city along with members of the Schuylkill County Municipal Authority checking the pressure of water lines and hydrants in the area and going over plans on what they could to in the event of a fire.
"The planning that we did worked," DeWald said. "Water was not an issue here yesterday."
June Shirey lives directly behind the fire homes with her husband, David, at 212 W. Union St. She said she was home alone and first saw smoke out of her back window followed quickly by fire.
"I saw a flash and remember thinking to myself 'Oh my God, it's an inferno,' " she said.
Not knowing if Spitler and her children were out of their home, Shirey said she started screaming to warn them about the fire.
"I just started screaming there was a fire in case anyone could hear me," she said.
Shirey said her grandson, Nicolas Webber, Pottsville, along with a city firefighter were able to get a dog and bird out of the Spitler home. She said Webber suffered smoke inhalation and had to be treated at a local hospital.
At least two residents of the fire-damaged homes, along with two city firefighters, were taken to area hospitals for treatment of smoke inhalation or other minor injuries.
All were treated at the scene with the exception of Mildred Salle, who was admitted to the hospital, officials said.
As far as the residents of the burned homes, Shirey said it is a good thing no one was seriously hurt.
"At least they're alive," she said.