Scranton fire forces evacuations of homes, schools

SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — As the fierce flames erupted, it was a sight many in Scranton had never seen before.

A massive fire erupted sending clouds of smoke into the air and forcing evacuations at nearby schools and businesses. It all unfolded in the middle of the day, catching many by surprise

“Just see a big cloud of smoke in the air, and you know I said to my mother and my wife you know that’s not the trains,” said Braden McCammon, a witness to the blaze.

The fire broke out around 10:30 a.m. and within minutes, flames were raging through the building. People gathered on streets and sidewalks, watching in shock as firefighters worked to contain the blaze.

“A lot of smoke, plumes of it. Not used to seeing this at all. The street was blocked off so I couldn’t get in front of my house, but yeah, saw a lot of firefighters doing their job,” said a witness to the fire Greg Boock.

“Just a lot of smoke, obviously, we were driving from the highway, like Taylor area, and like basically it was just a bunch of smoke up in the air and we were just like ‘Yo what is that? Big fire and all that stuff,'” said Darius Williams, another witness to the fire.

The intensity of the flames and smoke forced local schools and businesses in the area to evacuate.

The fire department also urged them to shut down HVAC systems to prevent smoke from seeping inside.

“I was scared, I was scared ’cause I didn’t know what was gonna happen. Yeah like I was looking out the window and I took a picture and it was like mad smoke,” students Jayna Vasqez and Keiyona Bennett said.

In a statement to 28/22 news, Scranton Superintendent Dr. Erin Keating said the following.

“We will always put the safety and security of our students first. We consistently work in coordination with the SFD and spd to ensure the safety of our students. District administrators made the decision to dismiss because it was in the best interest of our staff and students.”

Scranton Superintendent Dr. Erin Keating

Heavy smoke was also drifting onto the Wright Center.

Administrators evacuated the facility, stating:

“The Wright Center evacuated employees and closed our primary care center to patients shortly after the fire began today. We are closed for the rest of today. We have not made a decision on our hours of operation for Thursday yet.”

Wright Center Marketing and Communications Executive Director Paul Krzywicki

Crews are still on the scene at this time and no injuries were reported.

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