`nutcracker' Enlivens The Holiday

Alex Wrobleski 
Dec. 17, 1994 
Alex A. Wrobleski, 73, Of North Gates Avenue, Kingston, Died Saturday In 
Nesbitt Memorial Hospital, Kingston.

By ANTHONY COLAROSSI; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Wednesday, December 21, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1A 





WILKES-BARRE -- Although a South Main Street fire Tuesday afternoon left 31
people homeless the week before Christmas, many of those displaced considered
themselves fortunate. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 They're thankful they're still alive. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Margaret "Peggy" Walsh, 60, died after a fire destroyed her fourth-floor
room in the Alleghany Building, said Joseph Shaver, Luzerne County deputy
coroner. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The smoky fire, which began about 1:45 p.m., was isolated to Walsh's room
in the boardinghouse at 94-96 South Main St., Wilkes-Barre firefighters said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The firefighters and state police fire marshals had not determined the
fire's cause Tuesday night. They said the fire does not seem suspicious, but
an investigation is continuing. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Walsh was pronounced dead at 3:15 p.m. in her room, Shaver said. He would
not comment on the cause of death and said an autopsy would be conducted
today. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Residents of the building were shocked by the woman's death, and many
thought all had escaped. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Bill Ruschel, 41, who lived on the fourth floor, said he tried to douse the
flames in Walsh's room with a bucket of water, but the fire already had grown
out of control. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I've never seen flames like that before," he said. "They were just
shooting up off the mattress. The smell drove me off choking." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Ruschel and another tenant, Mark Smith, could not get far enough into the
room to see if anyone was still in there, Ruschel said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We heard the wood popping and the flames and smoke shooting out," said
Smith, 34. "There was a lot of smoke and a lot of heat." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Neighbors said Walsh was a quiet woman. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "She was harmless," said Joseph Yarish, 48, who has lived in the building
11 years. "She came and went, and that was it." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Most of the building's tenants were to sleep in a shelter or in motel rooms
Tuesday night, courtesy of the Wyoming Valley Chapter of the American Red
Cross and VISION, a local group that helps the homeless. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 About 13 single male residents were to spend Tuesday night at Christ United
Methodist Church in Mountaintop, a shelter provided by VISION. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Another 12 male residents were to stay at local motels or with family
members, said Bruce Gallup, the church's pastor. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The remaining tenants -- three single females and one couple -- were to
stay at area motels, said Craig A. Husch, executive director of the local Red
Cross chapter. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "How do you deal with it?" asked Danny McEwen, 33, a displaced Alleghany
dweller. "You do what you got to do and move on. We still have our lives; that
is what's important. There's worse off than us." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Robert Hill, 27, said many of the building's residents probably have
experienced tough situations, such as fires and homelessness, before. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Several tenants said they pay $260 a month rent there and share communal
facilities such as kitchens and bathrooms. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "A place like this is often a steppingstone for something better," Hill
said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 McEwen and Hill tried to maintain positive attitudes Tuesday despite the
tragedy. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We don't even know yet. We might be back in here tomorrow," Hill said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 While firefighters agreed that most of the residents will be able to move
back into the building, they were unsure exactly when the relocation will take
place. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "There's a good possibility that some of them can get back in very
shortly," said Wilkes-Barre Assistant Fire Chief John Tomchik. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The sooner the building is repaired by its owner, Tomchik said, the sooner
the residents can move back in. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Owner Ed Miscavage was at the fire scene on Tuesday but repeatedly declined
throughout the day to comment on the incident. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 There have been no prior tenant complaints about the building, and it
hasn't had any building-code violations, said Phil Koval, Wilkes-Barre
building inspector. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Tenants at the Alleghany said the rooms were humble but well-maintained. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I mean the place wasn't much, but you never realize how much you had until
you don't have it no more," said Sean Robinson, 28, who has lived in the
building five months. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It is Christmas week, and we have to do everything we possibly can to put
a bit of comfort in their lives," said Vincent Kabacinski, VISION's executive
director. "We're prepared for something like this." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Roomers' Chins Up After Fire Housemates Of Woman Who Died In South Main Street Blaze Shaken But Thankful They're Alive