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Contractor begins emergency cleanup of debris and overgrowth in Laurel Run Creek

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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; A vacant Darling Street residence that was being cleaned out in hopes of turning it into a rental property was damaged by fire Monday afternoon.</p><p>The fire started at 2:32 p.m. at 101 Darling St., according to Wilkes-Barre Fire Chief Alan Klapat.</p><p>Klapat said the fire started inside the building and extended through the exterior of the home. A room in the home &#8220;sustained substantial damage,&#8221; he said.</p><p>A man was working inside the home at the time of the fire, but was not hurt.</p><p>Veronica Hoadley, who lives across the street, called 911 when the man notified her of the incident.</p><p>&#8220;He came running over to my house banging on the window,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I came out and saw smoke.&#8221;</p><p>Jack Ohana, of New York City, bought the home for $14,050 just two weeks ago.</p><p>The previous owner passed away, and Ohana bought the property from the state. He said the previous owner left a great deal of garbage in the home, including &#8220;newspapers from 1920&#8221;.</p><p>Ohana said he didn&#8217;t know exactly how much damage occurred as a result of the fire, but he acknowledged that he will have to invest even more money into the home now.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s going to cost me $5,000 to $10,000 more,&#8221; he said. &#8220;What can I do?&#8221;</p><p>Ohana owns more than 20 homes throughout the county.</p><p>When asked if the Darling Street home was insured, Ohana said he didn&#8217;t know.</p><p>Klapat said the cause of the fire is not known at this time, but a fire investigator is expected to visit the home Tuesday for further examination.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Wilkes-Barre firemen work to put out a fire on Darling Street in Wilkes-Barre. 11/28/17. Sean McKeag | Times Leader</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_TTL112817Fire1-3.jpg</photo0><caption0>Wilkes-Barre firemen work to put out a fire on Darling Street in Wilkes-Barre. 11/28/17. Sean McKeag | Times Leader</caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_TTL112817Fire2-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Wilkes-Barre firefighters knock down debris from a house fire on Darling Street in Wilkes-Barre on Monday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_TTL112817Fire2-3.jpg</photo1><caption1>Wilkes-Barre firefighters knock down debris from a house fire on Darling Street in Wilkes-Barre on Monday. </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_TTL112817Fire3-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Wilkes-Barre firefighters put out a fire on Darling Street in Wilkes-Barre on Monday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_TTL112817Fire3-3.jpg</photo2><caption2>Wilkes-Barre firefighters put out a fire on Darling Street in Wilkes-Barre on Monday. </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Kulsoom Khan</p><p>kkhan@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div>

Fire rips through vacant Wilkes-Barre home