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Three dead after fire in Covington Township

Husband and wife, Ira and Carol Nafus, died in the blaze Monday night. Their son Bryan Nafus who was taken to the hospital, died Tuesday morning.

LACKAWANNA COUNTY, Pa. — Lynn and Jerry Lindner live just five miles up the road from the scene of Monday night's deadly fire that left a husband, wife, and son dead.

"When Jerry came home today, he told me about the fire, and we drove right by it, and the house, it was demolished," said Lynn Lindner, Clifton Township.

"It's in the big cities when you hear about it, nothing around like here," said Jerry Lindner.

Jerry Lindner, who works as a state constable out of Moscow, remembers meeting the family that lived in the home just a few years ago.

"I met her. She was very nice, and it's a shame you get sick when you walk by the place, you know," said Jerry.

Covington Fire Chief Brad Jones says this was one of the worst fires he's ever seen and that the fire company is working to make sure other first responders are taken care of.

"We want to make sure that our men and women are right at peace with what happened. Everyone did a phenomenal job, and there was nothing more we could have done," said Chief Brad Jones.

Cheri Lombard works at a local hair salon in Covington Township and knows the firefighters well.

"Very, very important; I have many, many customers that are volunteers; my nephew is a volunteer with Jefferson, so very important," said Cheri Lombard, Jefferson Township.

Authorities say the damage may be too severe to determine the cause of Monday's deadly fire. But they're using this tragedy to urge residents to take the right steps and make sure their homes are safe.

"You know winter time is coming. You know prices are through the roof for heating fuel and electricity. Just be smart, use that equipment and those heaters and things as they are recommended and designed to do," said Chief Jones.

The Covington Fire Company urges residents to make sure their fire alarms are on and working.

If you suspect something is wrong, just give firefighters a call.

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