Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski Firefighters responded to the scene of a multi-building fire along the 1300 block of Pennsylvania Avenue in downtown Tyrone on Monday afternoon. Multiple fire departments were dispatched to the scene.
TYRONE — A fire destroyed a duplex and damaged a second residence on the 1300 block of Pennsylvania Avenue on Monday afternoon.
According to Neptune Fire Company Chief Alan Walls, at least four people were in the two-unit apartment building when the fire broke out about 4 p.m., and all of them made it out of the structure before firefighters arrived.
“Two people escaped through a back window, and another two people went out of the building through a back porch roof,” he said.
Walls said the fire began in the duplex before extending to the house next door.
A neighbor across the street who declined to be identified, said she saw the fire start in the middle of the building and then spread quickly to other areas of the structure.
At one point, she said there was so much smoke, it was hard to see even across the street.
Two people came out of the house and laid on the street, she said. They later told her they were sleeping and could not breathe, then they realized there was fire and had to get out.
The duplex, a brown building, was extensively damaged by the fire and the roof collapsed, Walls said.
While he was unsure how many people were displaced, the American Red Cross was called in to assist, Walls said.
The cause of the fire is unknown and will be investigated by the fire marshal.
“These firemen are awesome, they deserve so much respect,” the neighbor said.
Mirror Staff Writer Cati Keith can be reached at 814-946-7535.
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