From the PoconoRecord.com

Fire destroys Jackson Township home

No injuries in blaze, which is still under investigation

JACKSON TOWNSHIP — A fast-moving fire that destroyed a bi-level wood-frame house Friday morning is under investigation.

No one was injured in the 9:45 a.m. fire on Deibert Lane off Running Valley Road, near Hillcrest Nursing Home. Neighbors said an older couple had been living there.

The couple was home at the time and managed to escape to safety before leaving the scene, but their identities are unknown, said Jackson Township Assistant Fire Chief J.R. Bisbing. The property is listed in Monroe County tax records as belonging to Thomas Molinaro.

Neighbor Andrew Gleason was taking a shower when the fire occurred.

"The neighbors on the other side (of the burning house) called on the phone to tell us there was a fire," Gleason said. "I came out and saw (the couple) standing outside in their pajamas, looking at the house. They drove away after the firefighters came."

Firefighters from Jackson Township and several other companies arrived on scene to find the house fully engulfed in flames.

"We knew the weather was going to be bad, so we were careful getting here," Bisbing said.

Firefighters still would have been unable to save the house even in clear weather conditions because of how quickly the flames spread, Bisbing said.

"At this time, we don't know how or where inside the home the fire started," he said, adding that it's too soon to tell if the fire is suspicious.

— Andrew Scott

Photo from poconorecord.com