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Work of Art Learning Center students stage Halloween presentation in West Pittston for parents, grandparents

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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Dozens of residents poured onto Horton Street Friday evening, gathering in front of a home destroyed by an early-morning fire to mourn its occupant, Duane Lawrence, a man they had variously called a neighbor, friend and schoolmate, who they now presumed dead.</p><p>Wilkes-Barre fire Chief Jay Delaney said crews were dispatched to the fire at 223 Horton St. at 5:21 a.m. He said crews arrived to find &#8220;fire everywhere,&#8221; which initially prevented firefighters from getting inside the building.</p><p>&#8220;The initial incident commander made the call to just keep everyone outside and safe,&#8221; he said.</p><p>On Thursday, hours before the fire, the home had been sold at a Luzerne County back-tax auction because the owners &#8212; listed as Nancy Lawrence and her children, Duane Lawrence and Susan Smith &#8212; owed $8,585 in taxes dating back to 2012, according to the deed and tax claim documents.</p><p>By 3:40 p.m. Friday, police had confirmed that a body had been found in the rubble, though they declined to release the victim&#8217;s identity.</p><p>&#8220;We saw them take the body out of the house and the coroner came,&#8221; said Darla Carey. &#8220;We were sure it was him.&#8221;</p><p>Carey said she went to school with Duane&#8217;s sister, Susan Smith, and knew the family well.</p><p>Demolition crews had arrived at about 12:30 p.m. to tear down what remained of the house, which was now leaning dangerously to one side and had to be propped up with beams.</p><p>The severity of the damage was readily apparent from the street prior to the demolition. The second floor had collapsed into the first floor, and everything inside was charred black.</p><p>Lillian O&#8217;Malia, 85, who lived at 225 1/2 Horton Street, said, &#8220;I lived here for 55 years and have known Duane and his family for all those years.&#8221;</p><p>O&#8217;Malia said she saw Lawrence on Thursday, just hours before the fire, cleaning up leaves in front of the house.</p><p>Although she said she was aware that Lawrence was upset because of taxes owed on the property and its eventual sale by the sheriff, she said he continued to &#8220;come and go,&#8221; driving a van bearing the name of the family business &#8220;Lawrence Heating and Air Conditioning Repair.&#8221;</p><p>O&#8217;Malia said firefighters removed a charred kerosene heater from the home.</p><p>Joan West, a Horton Street resident, said her children had grown up with Duane and his sister Susan and had played with them as children.</p><p>Delaney said the fire was brought under control in about two hours, but said that it did affect a neighboring residence at 225 Horton St. Delaney explained that the residents were displaced due to water used to combat the blaze and that the two adults and three children were provided shelter by the American Red Cross.</p><p>Court records indicate the property was acquired Thursday by East Stroudsburg resident Javiar Morales for $13,000 after a bidding war. The property, on 0.17 acre, was assessed at $64,500.</p><p>Morales said he discovered his new acquisition was up in flames when he visited the property this morning to examine it and saw firefighters.</p><p>He had planned to flip the property after making repairs.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s crazy,&#8221; Morales said. &#8220;I hope this had nothing to do with the sale.&#8221;</p><p>Morales said he would have worked with the prior owners because he does not evict occupants without giving them time to set up relocation plans, particularly those who have lived in a property for decades.</p><p>The deed indicates Nancy Lawrence added her children as owners in December 2001. She and her late husband, Jerome Lawrence, first acquired the property in April 1965, the deed says.</p><p>According to a Times Leader obituary for Nancy Lawrence, who died in 2003, Jerome Lawrence at one point ran a refrigeration business based out of the home.</p><p>County officials say Morales&#8217; purchase will be voided because the fire occurred within 24 hours of his bid and left him with no structure.</p><p>&#8220;It was kind of them to take back the property,&#8221; Morales said.</p><p>A deputy fire marshal from Pennsylvania State Police, as well as investigators of the Wilkes-Barre Fire Department, are looking into the cause of the fire.</p><p>Horner Street resident John Brown, looking across the road at the home that would be no more, said of Duane Lawrence, &#8220;He was a good guy, he was always working around the house, trying to make it look nice.&#8221;</p><p><em>Investigations editor Thomas Moriarty contributed to this report.</em></p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Wilkes-Barre firefighters put out some hot spots from this house on Horton Street that caught fire early Friday morning. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_TTL103115HortonFire10.jpg</photo0><caption0>Wilkes-Barre firefighters put out some hot spots from this house on Horton Street that caught fire early Friday morning. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_TTL103115HortonFire29.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Wilkes-Barre firefighters douse the remnants of a fire that destroyed a house on Horton Street. Wilkes-Barre fire department put out some hot spots from this house on Horton Street that caught fire early Friday morning. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_TTL103115HortonFire29.jpg</photo1><caption1>Wilkes-Barre firefighters douse the remnants of a fire that destroyed a house on Horton Street. Wilkes-Barre fire department put out some hot spots from this house on Horton Street that caught fire early Friday morning. </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Travis Kellar, Jennifer Learn-Andes and Geri Gibbons</p><p>tkellar@www.timesleader.com</p><p>jandes@www.timesleader.com</p><p>ggibbons@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Travis Kellar at 570-991-6389 or on Twitter at @TLNews. Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter at @TLJenLearnAndes.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

One reported dead in fire at Wilkes-Barre home that sold Thursday at back-tax sale