FACTORYVILLE, Pa. — Smoke could be seen for miles when an apartment building went up in flames along College Avenue in Factoryville. Firefighters said four people lived in the building, and all of them made it out. One woman was taken to the hospital for burns.
Jeremy Buckingham was driving by before fire crews arrived. He got out of his car and tried to help.
"We went up the one building that was on fire. As soon as you got to the top, you had to leave immediately. When I got back out, the guy that lives downstairs was at the bottom, so he was out safe. His daughter was at school. So, yeah, I'm no hero. You just do what any person should be trying to do," Buckingham said.
The flames spread to the factory next door. Firefighters said the windy weather made their job even more difficult.
"We were dealing with some very high winds that was pushing the fire against the exposure building," Factoryville Fire Company Assistant Fire Chief Kevin Howard said.
Firefighters said the apartment building is a total loss, but the factory was saved.
Neighbors said the high winds had them worried the flames would spread farther.
Whitney Smith's father lives two doors down from the apartments.
"I looked out my window from downtown. You could see the flames all the way across town by that point they were saying that the smoke was hitting Clarks Summit," Smith said.
Firefighters said it appears the fire started in the basement. A state police fire marshal is working to determine an official cause.
