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KINGSTON — Firefighters from both sides of the Susquehanna River battled a blaze that damaged a four unit apartment building on Penn Street Thursday.

Several fire apparatus vehicles lined Penn Street after firefighters responded to 53-55 Penn St. just after 10:30 a.m.

“It was a large four unit apartment building and we had heavy fire inn the basement that extended to the first floor and second floor but didn’t extend to the attic,” said Kingston Forty Fort Fire Department Chief Frank Guido.

Three of the four apartment units were occupied.

No injuries were reported but a dog expired due to smoke inhalation.

Guido said a tenant in one of the apartment units was awakened by smoke and called 911. Two tenants in another unit had left their apartment about 30 minutes before the fire was first noticed.

Heavy smoke emerged from the building causing firefighters to smash windows on both sides to ventilate the structure.

Guido called a second alarm that resulted in fire departments from Plains Township and Wilkes-Barre City to respond to assist as backup. City firefighters were put to work battling the blaze causing Hanover Township firefighters to be dispatched to the scene.

“Before the call came in, we had two active ongoing calls so we were down some manpower,” Guido said. “I had to get outside resources and called a second alarm that brought in Plains Township. Wilkes-Barre firefighters came to be the rapid intervention team but I had to put them to work for us, so Hanover Township came over and they were the backup to the backup.”

Firefighters were able to make an interior attack with hoses going inside the building.

Guido said state police deputy fire marshal Trooper Kerri Dodson is investigating the cause of the blaze.

Fire damages Kingston double block home