`holiday Heroes' Come Through For The Needy 
Workers At Hospitals, Soup Kitchens, Shelters And Help Lines Give The Gift Of 
Caring On Christmas Day

250 Lose Jobs As Resort Closes 
Mountain Laurel, In White Haven, 
Was Unable To Reach A Mortgage 
Repayment Schedule With Mellon Bank, 
A Spokesman For The Operator Says

By P. DOUGLAS FILAROSKI; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Thursday, December 25, 1997 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1A 





WILKES-BARRE TWP.- Brad and Cindy Cox looked forward to spending their
first Christmas together as newlyweds. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A fire on Christmas Eve disrupted their plans. The morning blaze gutted the
couple's home at Wilkeswood Apartments on Indian Creek Road, sending them
searching for a place to spend the holidays. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; One firefighter, Dave Cilvik, 33, of the Wilkes-Barre Township fire
company, was sent to the hospital after touching an electrical wire while
battling the morning blaze. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A spokesperson at Mercy Hospital in Wilkes-Barre said Cilvik was being
treated as of press time. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The fire, which authorities blamed on a faulty furnace, also caused smoke
and water damage to an apartment occupied by Joe Molitoris beneath the Coxes'. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Molitoris, who lives near Valley Forge, stays in the apartment during the
week while he works in the area. He was in the Valley Forge area Wednesday
morning preparing to celebrate the holidays when he received a call about the
fire. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Stuff happens," Molitoris said as he carted shirts and ties from the
apartment to his van. "Some things you can't control." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Molitoris said he would probably begin searching on Friday for a new
apartment at Wilkeswood. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Firefighters from Hanover Township and Ashley assisted Wilkes-Barre
Township firefighters at the three-alarm blaze, discovered by Cindy Cox. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Wilkes-Barre Township Assistant Fire Chief John Yuknavich said Cox had left
the house to go to the gym. But she forgot something at home and returned to
discover smoke in her apartment. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "There was smoke coming out of the eaves. The place was a working fire when
firefighters arrived," Yuknavich said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Yuknavich said Cilvik was injured when he came in contact with a 12-volt
electrical wire while standing in water. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 He was not knocked unconscious, but "it gave him a jolt. It knocked him
across the room," Yuknavich said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Yuknavich said it appeared that the Coxes' Christmas tree and presents were
not burned in the blaze. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "They might be a little wet and smoky," he said. "But if they're not
delicate, they can probably clean them up." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Coxes could not be reached Wednesday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Doug Filaroski covers governmental issues in Luzerne county. Reach him at
829-7256. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 TIMES LEADER/CHRIS ABRAHAM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Wilkes-Barre Township firefighters extinguish a Wednesday morning blaze
that forced a recently married couple out of their home at the Wilkeswood
Apartments. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Christmas Eve Blaze Routs Local Newlyweds Wilkes-barre Township Firefighter Is Taken To The Hospital After Suffering An Electrical Shock