DURYEA, Pa. — An investigation remained ongoing Sunday morning one day after a man was found dead inside a Luzerne County home ravaged by fire for the second time in two weeks.
Officials with the Luzerne County coroner’s office have not yet confirmed the identity of the man whose remains were discovered Saturday morning inside of 539 Foote Ave., Duryea. A state police fire marshal has not yet ruled on a cause.
Two children were able to safely escape the burning home Saturday. They were the only ones there and they were not injured.
It was not the first fire there in recent weeks.
Firefighters in Duryea first fought back flames at the Foote Avenue home around 4 p.m. March 13. A state police fire marshal ruled it an accident.
That fire displaced 10 people. The American Red Cross was called to assist them.
Robert Sepelyak, a neighbor, said a large family moved into that house about three years ago.
“They were all friendly,” he said.
Sepelyak did not see them again after the fire on March 13.
Flames broke out again Saturday morning. How the fire started remains under investigation. It was not clear Sunday why people were there.
Sepelyak, 84, said he saw crews from UGI and PPL Electric Utilities turn off the home’s gas and electric utilities. The earlier fire also marred the building with smoke and water.
The damage now to the structure is extensive. The interior is hollowed out and burned. Much of the exterior is charred or melted.
The home, Sepelyak said, used to be a neighborhood tavern but it closed roughly 20 years ago.
It was sold in September 2021 to Theophile Nsengimana and Sifa Saninka, according to Luzerne County property records.
Sepelyak first met them right before they purchased the property. He told them he's lived in the area for decades.
They asked him about the neighborhood.
“Is there any trouble here?” inquired one of Sepelyak’s soon-to-be-neighbors.
Trouble? Not here, he said.
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