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WILKES-BARRE — Fire crews were able to extinguish a van fully engulfed in flames before it w damaged nearby buildings.

Wilkes-Barre Fire Chief Jay Delaney said crews were dispatched by Luzerne County 911 for what was first reported as a structure fire shortly after 11:30 a.m. Delaney noted crews initially had a hard time finding the fire, but said they were able to track it down in a small parking lot on South Franklin Street within two minutes.

Delaney said crews arrived to find a van fully engulfed in flames, and said employees of a nearby building had to be evacuated.

William Byrne, an employee at Hoegen and Associates on South Franklin Street, said his colleagues were notified of the blaze by nearby construction workers.

“We looked out the window, and we saw the fire ranging, so everybody left the building, he said.

Despite the close proximity of the vehicle to the building, the building only had black char marks.

“The fire never breached the structure itself,” he said, but added the building’s cinder blocks got hot and prompted crews to investigate with thermal-imaging cameras.

“There was no heat detected inside the building,” Delaney said.

Delaney said a tree caught fire near the van, and crews were able to extinguish both the tree and van fires quickly.

No injuries were reported. Delaney said his department’s fire inspector was on the scene to determine a cause.

By Travis Kellar

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Reach Travis Kellar at 570-991-6389 or on Twitter @TLNews