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Friday, February 05, 1999 Page: 2A
WILKES-BARRE- Another lawsuit stemming from a fatal fire in 1997 at a
Harveys Lake personal care home was filed Thursday in the Luzerne County Court
of Common Pleas.
Stella Olshefski of Hanover Township, administrator of the estate of her
brother, Martin Chalk, filed the suit against WP Equities Inc., the owner of
Country Manor Personal Care Facility.
Five men and four women, including Martin Chalk, died in the fire on May
13, 1997. A sixth man died two months later from his injuries.
Investigators say the fire started when a resident threw a match on a porch
chair. No charges were filed against the male resident, who has a history of
mental illness, police said.
Olshefski claims WP Equities was negligent and careless by failing to
supervise its premises properly, allowing residents with a history of mental
illness to smoke, failing to place a sprinkler system in the home and failing
to have heat alarms or sensors on the premises.
Olshefski is seeking in excess of $120,000, plus punitive damages.