Wilkes-Barre City firefighters remain at the scene of a fire at Genetti’s Apartments, East Market and South Pennsylvania Avenue, Tuesday morning. Ed Lewis | Times Leader
Click here to subscribe today or Login.
WILKES-BARRE — One man died and nearly 125 people evacuated due to a fire at the Genetti Apartment complex early Tuesday morning.
City firefighters responded to the seven story building at East Market Street and South Pennsylvania Avenue for a fire on the third floor just before 2 a.m.
Four tenants were rescued through a fourth floor window by firefighters using an aerial ladder truck, Fire Chief Jay Delaney said.
“Our firefighters and firefighters from Kingston and Hanover Township did a phenomenal job,” Delaney said.
Assistant Fire Chief Alan Klapat said city police officers worked with firefighters to assist in evacuating up to 125 people from the apartment building through narrow stairwells as firefighters were rushing and laying hoses to battle the blaze.
“This has to be one of the largest displacements (of tenants) in my career,” Delaney said.
One person was pronounced dead on the third floor by the Luzerne County Coroner’s Office.
County coroner Frank Hacken identified the victim as 67-year-old Larry Wilson, of Wilkes-Barre, and identified the cause of death as accidental smoke inhalation.
Two dogs also perished in the blaze. Delaney said a cat on an upper floor was found suffering from smoke inhalation but saved.
“It was a great team effort, they did a phenomenal job. It could have been much worse,” Delaney said.
Mayor George Brown also had high praise for those who responded to the fire.
“Without the diligent, brave, and professional response from all involved, this tragedy could have been much greater. This is another example of why I am convinced the City of Wilkes-Barre and its residents are served by the finest police and fire departments in the state of Pennsylvania,” Brown said in a press release.
Delaney said the blaze was contained to an interior third-floor room while the second and first floors sustained heavy water damage and the upper floors sustained heavy smoke damage.
A preliminary review determined there was damage to all six floors with the most serious damage to the first five floors, the press release said.
“At this point, it is unclear how much time and reconstruction work will be necessary to reopen the complex,” the press release said.
Those evacuated were kept inside a ballroom and were being assisted by the Northeastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Red Cross.
Delaney said fire alarms were sounding when firefighters arrived. Several tenants were already outside while firefighters and police officers went door-to-door to get tenants out.
Klapat said there are 104 units in the apartment building.
“We didn’t have any water supply issues. We had four ambulances here and fortunately no one was transported to a hospital but were treated at the scene,” Delaney said.
Genetti’s has opened 27 rooms in their hotel complex for displaced apartment tenants while many other tenants were transported by school buses to three other hotels in the area.
Delaney said two additional shifts of firefighters were called in.
Kingston firefighters responded acting as the Rapid Intervention Team but were put to work to battle the blaze. Firefighters from Hanover Township were then called as the RIT crew.
Delaney said due to the heavy smoke, 20 to 30 air tanks were depleted and re-filled.
“We had all of the city’s apparatus vehicles here at one point,” Delaney said.
A state police deputy fire marshal and the city fire inspector are investigating the cause of the blaze.
Genetti Apartments, the former Redington Hotel, has been the scene of several fires in the past.
In March 2021, a fire on the third floor damaged a room and forced an evacuation of tenants.
On New Years Day 1999, a fire on the fifth floor forced the evacuation of approximately 200 tenants. Several tenants were injured in the New Years Day blaze.
An electrical fire damaged a second floor meeting room on April 25, 1981.