Woman dead after Hazleton house fire

A woman is dead following a structure fire Saturday afternoon on Locust Street in Hazleton, according to the Hazleton City Police Department.

A post on the Hazleton Fire Department Facebook page confirmed that the victim, later identified by Hazleton Police as 83-year-old Kathleen Herchel, was found inside the residence was transferred to EMS and then transported to Lehigh Valley Hospital.

In a separate release from the Hazleton Police Department, Hazleton Detectives and Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshal on scene and later determined Herchel passed away.

As reported by our news gathering partners at Eyewitness News (WBRE/WYOU ), Fire Chief Donald Leshko said that a second resident, who wasn’t home at the time, is staying with friends and family.

According to officials, the Hazleton City Fire Department were called to the 700 block of North Locus Street around 3:45 p.m. Saturday for a reported working structure fire.

Crews arrived on screen to heavy fire conditions on the first floor, coming out the front door, and while preparing to extinguish the fire there was an explosion inside the residence, the fire department’s Facebook post read.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.