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<p>KINGSTON &#8212; Firefighters had to ward off the brutal cold as they battled a house fire early Friday morning.</p><p>Crews were dispatched at 5:20 a.m. to 351 Chester St. for a report of a residential structure fire. Chief Frank Guido said crews arrived to find heavy fire and smoke conditions.</p><p>The fire was classified as a three-alarm fire.</p><p>Guido explained that the roof of the building eventually collapsed, which prompted firefighters to retreat from inside the building.</p><p>&#8220;We believe the roof collapsed into the basement, and that (the building) became unsafe for anybody to be in there,&#8221; Guido said. &#8220;It was necessary to pull the crews out to go into a defensive operation.&#8221;</p><p>At approximately 8:45 a.m., crews were still on the scene checking for hot spots inside what was left of the structure. Smoke was still billowing out of certain areas of the rubble, and ice caked powers lines and the streets as crews worked.</p><p>Guido said investigators from the Pennsylvania State Police believe the residence was structurally unsound, and that there were fears it could collapse. Kingston Municipal Administrator Paul Keating was on the scene to evaluate the residence.</p><p>At 9:45 a.m. Friday, Guido said a contractor was on the scene to demolish what was left of the residence.</p><p>Guido said nobody was home at the time of the fire.</p><p>&#8220;They (residents) just left for Florida,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We&#8217;re trying to determine if they moved to Florida or if they just went for vacation.&#8221;</p><p>Guido added that nobody has been home at the residence for about a month. It was not immediately clear how many people lived in the home.</p><p>The brutal morning cold created several hurdles for firefighters.</p><p>&#8220;Conditions were absolutely treacherous,&#8221; Guido said.</p><p>Guido explained firefighters encountered ice on the roadways, and their water lines froze quickly as they worked to combat the fire.</p><p>&#8220;It was just a very difficult fire from beginning to end,&#8221; he said.</p><p>As a result of the cold, firefighters had to be constantly rotated in and out to fight the blaze. Kingston&#8217;s public works department was also on the scene to salt the ice-covered street in the immediate area.</p><p>One firefighter sustained an injury from slipping and falling on the ice. He is being treated at a local medical facility.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Firefighters hose down a smoldering residence on Chester Street in Kingston on Friday morning. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_chester-fire-6-4.jpg</photo0><caption0>Firefighters hose down a smoldering residence on Chester Street in Kingston on Friday morning. </caption0><photoCredit0>Amanda Hrycyna|For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_chester-fire-8-4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Kingston Fire Chief Frank Guido and firefighters had to endure frigid temperatures as they battled a residential structure fire on Chester Street on Friday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_chester-fire-8-4.jpg</photo1><caption1>Kingston Fire Chief Frank Guido and firefighters had to endure frigid temperatures as they battled a residential structure fire on Chester Street on Friday. </caption1><photoCredit1>Amanda Hrycyna|For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_Chesterfire-10-4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Kingston Fire Chief Frank Guido and firefighters had to endure frigid temperatures as they battled a residential structure fire on Chester Street on Friday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_Chesterfire-10-4.jpg</photo2><caption2>Kingston Fire Chief Frank Guido and firefighters had to endure frigid temperatures as they battled a residential structure fire on Chester Street on Friday. </caption2><photoCredit2>Amanda Hrycyna|For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_chesterfire-4-4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Firefighters hose down a smoldering residence on Chester Street on Friday morning. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_chesterfire-4-4.jpg</photo3><caption3>Firefighters hose down a smoldering residence on Chester Street on Friday morning. </caption3><photoCredit3>Amanda Hrycyna|For Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_TTL121616Fire.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Construction crews work on demolishing 351 Chester St. in Kingston after it caught fire Friday morning. 12/16/16.  Sean McKeag | Times Leader</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_TTL121616Fire.jpg</photo4><caption4>Construction crews work on demolishing 351 Chester St. in Kingston after it caught fire Friday morning. 12/16/16.  Sean McKeag | Times Leader</caption4><photoCredit4>Amanda Hrycyna|For Times Leader </photoCredit4></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Travis Kellar</p><p>tkellar@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Travis Kellar at 570-991-6389 or on Twitter @TLNews</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Early-morning fire ravages residence on Chester Street in Kingston