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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; A three-alarm fire on North Main Street pressed two shifts of off-duty firefighters into service to help extinguish a blaze that displaced a mother and two children from their home Thursday.</p><p>City firefighters responded to 256 N. Main St. for a working structure fire at 4:23 p.m., according to Wilkes-Barre City Fire Chief Jay Delaney.</p><p>&#8220;We found a lot of work to be done,&#8221; said Delaney. &#8220;There was fire and smoke in the three-story building.&#8221;</p><p>Firefighters worked diligently to make sure the fire did not jump to nearby 254 N. Main St.</p><p>&#8220;We had to make sure the fire didn&#8217;t spread,&#8221; the chief mentioned. &#8220;The blaze was 12 inches away from going to the other residence.</p><p>&#8220;We saved the property next door,&#8221; he added. &#8220;There are some cosmetic issues, but for the most part, the house was saved.&#8221;</p><p>As the blaze raged on, the frigid temperatures created more problems for firefighters.</p><p>&#8220;Our guys went in and did a phenomenal job trying to knock down the fire inside for over an hour,&#8221; noted Delaney. &#8220;The fire was too much.&#8221;</p><p>With intensifying flames, the chief decided to pull out all the firefighters and switched to a defensive battle.</p><p>&#8220;Our concern during the latter half of the fire was that the house (256 N. Main) didn&#8217;t collapse,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We thought with a lot of water inside and the amount of damage, the structure could collapse.&#8221;</p><p>The chief said the department still considers the area an &#8220;active collapse zone&#8221; and was also on high alert for ice.</p><p>Thursday&#8217;s single-digit temperatures caused a fire hose to crack. That led to water swooshing down North Main, which quickly formed a sheet of ice.</p><p>The icy conditions also led to injuries for two firefighters, according to Delaney.</p><p><strong>Hoses frozen in place</strong></p><p>While the fire was still actively burning after 7 p.m., the chief said crews had it under control. At that point, he was still not letting any firefighter enter the structure due to the dangerous conditions.</p><p>A fire investigator will try to determine a cause after it&#8217;s safe to enter the home.</p><p>With at least five fire engines helping fight the fire, Delaney said neighboring departments in Hanover Township, Kingston and Plains Township helped cover the city in case of another incident.</p><p>And the Kingston rapid intervention team, or RIT, responded in case city firefighters were overcome, according to Delaney.</p><p>Some residents in the area lost power after UGI and PPL shut off service.</p><p>As of Thursday night, people were encouraged to avoid the area of North Main between North and Beaumont streets.</p><p>Firefighters were unable to roll up their fire hoses and nozzles since they were frozen to the ground, and police had that section of the street blocked off.</p><p>Bill Goldsworthy, executive director for the American Red Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania, arrived at the scene later Thursday to offer help to the displaced residents.</p><p><strong>&#8216;Could not breathe&#8217;</strong></p><p>Damere Jackson, 15, of 256 N. Main St., was in his room when the fire started.</p><p>&#8220;I was laying in bed and saw water start leaking from my ceiling,&#8221; said Jackson. &#8220;I heard the fire alarms going off and began to smell smoke.&#8221;</p><p>Jackson said a neighbor saw the smoke and called 9-1-1.</p><p>&#8220;You could not breathe by the house,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It&#8217;s devastating because everything we owned was in there. Clothes are replaceable but we can&#8217;t replace the photos from my grandparents.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve never been in a situation like this before,&#8221; Jackson added. &#8220;I&#8217;m thankful the firefighters are trying to save my home.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">A house is seen burning on North Main Street in Wilkes-Barre on Thursday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_TTL020119Fire2-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>A house is seen burning on North Main Street in Wilkes-Barre on Thursday. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_TTL020119Fire4-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">A fireman is seen working inside a North Main Street home in Wilkes-Barre on Thursday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_TTL020119Fire4-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>A fireman is seen working inside a North Main Street home in Wilkes-Barre on Thursday. </caption1><photoCredit1>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_TTL020119Fire3-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Wilkes-Barre firefighters train a stream of water on a burning house on North Main Street in Wilkes-Barre at dusk Thursday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_TTL020119Fire3-1.jpg</photo2><caption2>Wilkes-Barre firefighters train a stream of water on a burning house on North Main Street in Wilkes-Barre at dusk Thursday. </caption2><photoCredit2>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_TTL020119Fire1-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Crews are seen battling a raging house fire at 256 N. Main St. in Wilkes-Barre on Thursday afternoon that displaced a mother and two children. Firefighters worked hard in single-digit temperatures to ensure the blaze did not destroy a nearby home. A cracked fire hose put water on the street that quickly froze and created dangerously icy conditions. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_TTL020119Fire1-1.jpg</photo3><caption3>Crews are seen battling a raging house fire at 256 N. Main St. in Wilkes-Barre on Thursday afternoon that displaced a mother and two children. Firefighters worked hard in single-digit temperatures to ensure the blaze did not destroy a nearby home. A cracked fire hose put water on the street that quickly froze and created dangerously icy conditions. </caption3><photoCredit3>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Dan Stokes</p><p>dstokes@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div>

Crews battle North Main blaze in Wilkes-Barre