More Than 60 Displaced After Fire Destroys a Dozen 3-Story Easton PA Row Homes

Residents in the 900 block of Ferry Street — between Ninth and 10th streets in Easton’s West Ward — returned Tuesday morning to fire-ravaged homes with some roofs totally gone, levels completely gutted, and family pets still missing.

Flames ignited at 3:40 p.m. Memorial Day somewhere in the back between 911 to 915 Ferry Street, said Easton Deputy Fire Chief Chad Gruver. Gruver said at the time, the wind was blowing toward the west, which sent significant gusts carrying flames down the block, torching upward of a dozen, three-story row homes.

“If it was not a windy day, it could’ve been contained to just three structures,” Gruver told lehighvalleylive.com from the scene Tuesday. “Unfortunately, there was damage (by firefighters) as we tried to stop the fire from going and trying to contain it. Within a matter of seconds, it jumped one house from another house.”

All the homes sustained heavy smoke damage with significant fire damage impacting others. It took hundreds of firefighters from multiple agencies in the six-alarm blaze about six hours to bring flames under control, Gruver said.

All residents were able to escape safely with family pets — mostly cats — remaining on the loose Tuesday. Every tenant seemed to have owned multiple cats, Gruver said. Reptiles, including pet snakes, were rescued from some homes.

Three firefighters suffered from heat exhaustion, including one who was taken to the hospital for a medical evaluation and has since been released, Gruver said.

As of Tuesday morning, a total of 61 people, including four children, were displaced in the fire, said William Slotter, disaster action team manager for the Pennsylvania Rivers chapter of the American Red Cross, covering the region.

Easton Fire Chief Henry Hennings called it the city’s biggest fire in recent years.

Childhood home destroyed

For the Beers family of four adult sons, they watched their childhood home burn from day into night.

“We grew up on this block, it was our old stomping grounds,” said Marc Beers, whose 84-year-old mother, Sylvia Beers, still resided at 911 Ferry St. “Now, she’s lost everything.”

Marc Beers of Plainfield Township got the call from his niece that their childhood home was gone. He got to Easton within 20 minutes to find the block in ruins. He said two of his mother’s cats perished while one was able to be carried out by Sylvia Beers.

“I was shocked, sad and in disbelief,” Marc Beers said. “My mother never wanted to leave this home.”

Jeff Beers, Marc’s older brother, lives at a neighboring home. A neighbor began knocking on the door to tell him flames ignited in the back. A family friend who rented from Sylvia Beers in another home also escaped with the help of a neighbor.

Melissa Dennis of Tatamy, Marc Beers’ niece, also lived for over a decade at 913 Ferry Street. That home was owned by her father, then uncle and eventually, her grandmother, Sylvia Beers. Dennis lived there in her childhood and more recently, for four years, vacating in 2014.

Dennis recalled the Christmas tree being displayed in back of a main level bay window. Former neighbors dressed up as Santa and Mrs. Claus as “holiday helpers” for neighborhood children. Everyone on the block knew each other and would pop in and out of houses during the holiday season.

Dennis was best friends with a young girl who once lived at 915 Ferry Street. Sylvia Beers would feed the neighborhood’s stray cats on her back patio.

“It’s my childhood home destroyed,” Dennis said. “It’s very heartbreaking ... Now, it’s gone. All gone.”

Dennis wasn’t the only one to return Tuesday and revisit memories of the block.

Dawn Tharp of West Easton also lived in the neighborhood for five years. She knew about nine families, including the Beers, who lost all their belongings in the fire. Many, Tharp said, remain shaken by the aftermath.

“It’s just unbelievable,” Tharp said. “I feel so very sorry for them all. It’s just heartbreaking.”

Kevin Maxwell, who lives at 921 Ferry St., said he was sitting in his living room watching television when he heard a knock on the door from neighbor, Lucinda Sewell. Sewell, who lives across the street, saw the flames and ran to homes, knocking and yelling, “Get out,” she said.

Maxwell was lucky to grab his car keys, cellphone and a military flag of his late father.

“I went outside, saw the flames and saw the wind blowing this way,” Maxwell said. “I said, ‘Oh, shoot.’ "

Sewell said everyone was running down the street, knocking and banging. It’ll be awhile before she can get the sound and sight out of her mind, she said.

“There was a flash bang and a ‘swoosh,’” she said. “And then a black plume just went up into the sky.”

Blaze investigated

The cause and origin of Monday’s blaze remains under investigation by fire officials.

Deputy Fire Chief Gruver said crews would be at the scene all day Tuesday. He didn’t expect any hot spots, however, to flare up.

“We’re pretty confident all the hot spot are out,” Gruver said.

Paxinosa Elementary School’s gym Tuesday was being designated as an evacuation center, providing shelter for the residents. The school sits a few blocks from where the homes were destroyed. However, Slotter of the Red Cross, told lehighvalleylive.com Tuesday morning folks were yet to check into the site.

In the event families needed shelter, Slotter anticipated the gym would be staying open. Additionally, the West Ward WISE community organization was collecting food, clothes and other supplies Tuesday morning. Donors were dropping off water and other goods at 1021 Ferry Street.

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Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at [email protected].