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WILKES-BARRE &mdash; A concrete railroad switchman&rsquo;s shanty was one of the few recognizable items left standing Tuesday in the massive pile of rubble that had been Bielecki Scrap and Recycling.
				Plumes of smoke billowed from the massive debris pile more than 24 hours after a brush fire, pushed by gusty winds, extended into the scrap and recycling yard, igniting bales of cardboard and pallets.
				Flames quickly spread to the building causing the roof to collapse into the structure.
				Firefighters from Wilkes-Barre, Hanover Township, Kingston and Plains Township battled the blaze for nearly four hours before it was brought under control, but not before the building was lost.
				City Fire Chief Jay Delaney, standing at the scene Tuesday, took a few seconds to agree that the blaze was a &ldquo;perfect storm,&rdquo; with gusty winds pushing a brush fire into a scrap yard filled with mostly cardboard.
				During the height of the blaze, Delaney said he worried about flames extending across the street to the city&rsquo;s Department of Public Works Building and a private business, Corcoran Printing.
				&ldquo;I was really concerned about this building, our DPW building and the Corcoran building with the fire extending,&rdquo; Delaney said Tuesday.
				Delaney said Kingston Forty Fort&rsquo;s aerial ladder truck, which was positioned on North Pennsylvania Avenue, was used to monitor the roof of the DPW building for hot embers. He said the high winds caused embers to ignite a brush fire on the other side of the DPW building.
				As the fire was brought under control, an excavator was used to demolish the fractured Bielecki building allowing firefighters to hit hot spots.
				Power cut for safety
				&ldquo;This was a really hot fire. As you could see, the heat and fire ignited the utility pole that had live wires. I immediately called PPL to the scene, I was a little adamant about PPL getting here due to the live wires,&rdquo; Delaney said.
				Delaney said PPL Electric Utilities turned off the electrical grid to the area that resulted in several houses and businesses in the area temporarily losing electrical service.
				&ldquo;Normally, that wouldn&rsquo;t have happened but with the fire we had, it was the right thing to do,&rdquo; Delaney said about the electrical grid being shut down.
				Before electrical service was shut off, Delaney said firefighters had to keep a distance from the Bielecki building.
				Firefighters remained at the scene during the overnight hours with a fully charged hose.
				On Tuesday, an excavator with a claw was brought into to lift debris allowing firefighters to hit hidden hot spots. Officials from the state Department of Environmental Protection were scheduled to visit the site to continue air monitoring.
				Where&rsquo;s space capsule?
				Asked about the space capsule that stood on Bielecki&rsquo;s roof since 2002, Delaney said he didn&rsquo;t know if it survived. If it did, the 400-pound aluminum capsule is buried under debris.
				In a Times Leader story on July 11, 2018, Pete Bielecki said he acquired the space capsule from a farmer. Bielecki could not be reached for comment Tuesday. He opened the scrap and recycling center in 1985.
				Crews from Service Electric were at the scene replacing cables on utility poles to restore internet and television service that was lost.
				North Pennsylvania Avenue is expected to remain closed between East Linden to East Chestnut streets, and Conyngham Avenue from North Wilkes-Barre Boulevard to North Pennsylvania Avenue.

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Bielecki blaze ‘perfect storm,’ fire chief says