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Williamsport house fire under investigation; five left homeless

PHILIP A. HOLMES/Sun-Gazette A firefighter checks out the scene of a two-alarm blaze on High Street on Thursday night. The fire left a family of five homeless and is under investigation.

A family of five was left homeless after a kitchen fire erupted in their High Street home about 8:15 p.m. Thursday, city Fire Chief Sam Aungst said. The fire at 1626 High St. was discovered by city police who detected a strong odor of smoke in the neighborhood.

“The door handle was hot and the windows were turning black,” one officer said. No one was home at the time. Smoke was pouring from the house when firefighters arrived on the scene.

A second-alarm was ordered, but the fire was brought under control in about 15 minutes. There were no reports of injuries, Aungst said.

The Bureau of Fire is getting assistance from the state police fire marshal’s office in their investigation into the cause of the fire, Aungst said. A family rented the home and their name and the identity of the property owner will be released at a later date when the investigation is complete, Aungst added. He estimated damage to the house to be about $15,000.

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