SCRANTON -- Part of a rooming house in Scranton is expected to come down on Thursday after a massive fire ripped through the building Wednesday night, causing a partial collapse.
Scranton firefighters spent the morning looking through this area of the burned-out building that collapsed Wednesday night.
Firefighters say the 20 people who lived there were accounted for, but rescuers wanted to make sure no else was trapped in the fire. They didn't find anyone.
Cell phone video a viewer sent us shows part of the building on Capouse Avenue collapsing.
The fire started around 8 p.m. Wednesday. By 8:30, part of the building crumbling down. Investigators are still looking for the cause.
This building has quite a history. it was home to the troubled Clubhouse Bar, a nuisance bar shut down in 2006. It also housed the Doghouse Saloon, but was currently a rooming house.
Everyone who was inside did get out but 13 of them had to spend the night at a Red Cross shelter after losing everything they own. The Red Cross says it is going to put 16 people in hotels while they try to find another place to live.
We talked to one of those victims who had to be rescued from his room.
"I opened the door and I got smashed with smoke and I went, 'wham! OK, can't go that way, out the window!' And that's what I did, I was getting ready to jump out the window," explained fire victim Owen Miles.
We talked with Owen Miles at a shelter the Red Cross set up for the victims. He didn't jump with flames pouring from the building; firefighters pulled him from the window.
"They were like, 'don't jump, we're going to send a ladder up and get you.' And that's what happened," Miles added.
The morning after, the city ordered that the building come down, but first firefighters and police used heavy equipment to sort through the wreckage, making sure no one got trapped inside even though all residents were accounted for.
Investigators say the damage is likely too much to find a cause.
Seeing those flames is all those residents can remember.
"We're screwed, that's what I thought, we're screwed. This is not going to be a good night, this is not going to be a pack it in 15 minutes false alarm like I hoped it would be," said fire victim Patrick Moore.
Those who lived in the rooming house say they didn't have much but it was home. Now they have nothing as they try to start over.
"We spent a lot of time out on the street to begin with and we've all, a lot of us, we finally got our stuff together and we were getting comfortable and then all of a sudden a disaster like this happens," said fire victim Richard Tuckern.
There were hugs outside the Red Cross shelter and a lot gratitude for the Red Cross's help, along with resolve to move on.
"Much worse things have happened in history, much, much worse. We'll get through this and I'll make a good life anyways," said Moore.
"I couldn't sleep yet because I think, 'oh, my goodness, fire, I almost died!'" said Miles.
A demolition crew has been hired to bring down the building.
The Red Cross is moving 16 fire victims to hotels as they try to find a new place to live.