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College Corner: Kieran Sutton, Ben Robinson set to clash at PSAC Indoor Championships

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Double, double, toil and trouble. King’s College presents ‘Macbeth’ Feb. 24-28

<p>WEST HAZLETON &#8212; When Tom Flaim saw flames coming from a neighbor&#8217;s home at 421 W. Green St. Monday afternoon, he didn&#8217;t hesitate to act.</p><p>Instead, he rushed into the burning house, joined by West Hazleton police officer Chris Conarty, and by all accounts, saved the life of Veronica Mocarsky, an elderly disabled woman he had known for years.</p><p>Veronica&#8217;s son, Steve, a staff reporter at the Times Leader, couldn&#8217;t be any more grateful to the men who saved the life of his mother and that of his dog, Mozart.</p><p>&#8220;As they were helping my mother get out of her hospital bed and into her wheelchair, there was thick black smoke coming from the stairwell,&#8221; he said. &#8220;They got her out of there just in time. It was a life and death situation.&#8221;</p><p>Fire chief Shawn Evans said the thick black smoke was as toxic and life threatening as flames.</p><p>&#8220;The smoke could have done severe damage to the windpipe, to the lungs,&#8221; said Evans. &#8220;It could have been a deadly situation.&#8221;</p><p>Mocarsky is very grateful to the men he called &#8220;heroes&#8221; who risked their lives to save others.</p><p>&#8220;We are so fortunate that we have wonderful, caring neighbors as well as police officers who are willing to risk their lives,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I can&#8217;t find the words to express my gratitude.&#8221;</p><p>Officers and members of the West Hazleton, Hazleton, Hazle Township, Sugarloaf, Valley Regional, Harwood and Mahonoy City fire departments assisted at the scene, along with paramedics and rehabilitation personnel.</p><p>&#8220;(Monday&#8217;s events) showed true professionalism during adverse conditions, with every person working hard to bring the fire under control,&#8221; Evans said. He praised the Luzerne County Communication Center for its hard work during the fire, keeping the radio traffic limited to essential priority messages.</p><p>&#8220;Teamwork prevented loss of life, extensive property loss and damage to adjoining structures. It renewed my belief that no matter what, we truly are a brotherhood and sisterhood that stands the test of time in the face of adversity.&#8221;</p><p>He also credited the presence of mind and willingness to help of many neighbors.</p><p>&#8220;It reminds me of neighborhoods as they were when we were growing up,&#8221; Evans said, &#8220;with everyone keeping an eye out for what was going on.&#8221;</p><p>Evans said the two-alarm fire started in the upstairs front bedroom and has been deemed accidental by the Pennsylvania State Police fire marshals.</p><p>Mocarsky said his mother was resting comfortably at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Hazleton and would be temporarily placed in a nursing home.</p><p>He said the Red Cross was assisting both him and his mother and had provided some spending money and necessities.</p><p>Steve and Mozart are staying with Steve&#8217;s girlfriend. &#8220;Mozart really misses my mother,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Although overwhelmed by gratitude, Mocarsky also feels a great sadness about losing the home he grew up in and is facing uncertainty about the future.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s important that he is surrounded by those family members and those who are like family,&#8221; Evans said. &#8220;That&#8217;s what will make it possible for him to keep going.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">A West Hazleton firefighter surveys the scene Monday at 421 West Green St., which was heavily damaged by a fire that afternoon. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_fire-1-1-2.jpg</photo0><caption0>A West Hazleton firefighter surveys the scene Monday at 421 West Green St., which was heavily damaged by a fire that afternoon. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Blaze damages West Hazleton home</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Geri Gibbons</p><p>ggibbons@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Geri Gibbons at 570-991-6117 or on Twitter @TLGGibbons</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Neighbor and police officer deemed ‘heroes’ by son of West Hazleton woman pulled from house fire