While John Butler reportedly got out of the home at 2310 Bedaro Drive on his own, neighbor Eric Smith, a retired city fire platoon chief, is credited with rescuing Carol Butler. Her husband is the lead pastor at the Wings of Love Community Church in the borough while Carol serves as executive pastor, according to the church’s website.

“Smith entered the burning garage and heard the woman’s screams,” borough fire Chief Jeff Trammell said. “Smith told her ‘Follow my voice.’ She made her way to the door, and once Smith saw her, he grabbed her and pulled her out,” Trammell said he was told.

One victim was carried to an ambulance while the other, assisted by emergency responders, walked to a second ambulance. The couple was taken to UPMC Williamsport.

Trammell said he was told the two have since been “moved to a burn unit.” The closest such unit is at the Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest in Allentown. Several attempts to reach the hospital on Wednesday were unsuccessful.

The county’s 911 center received numerous calls around 10:50 p.m. about the fire, which city firefighters could see as they raced into the borough across the Maynard Street bridge.

“We could see fire coming from the actual home,” city fire Platoon Chief Mark Killian said. Bedaro Drive, at the top of a short steep hill, runs from Grove to Brown streets, just off of West Southern Avenue.

Dispatchers told firefighters there was possible entrapment, but both victims were already out of the home when they arrived on the scene.

There was heavy fire at the front of the house as well as in the attached two-car garage and the attic. With self-contained breathing apparatus, firefighters advanced hoses through the front door and a rear basement door, conducting a thorough search for any other possible victims.

A portion of the garage collapsed in a matter of minutes.

Also arriving on the scene were firefighters from the borough, DuBoistown, Old Lycoming Township, Loyalsock Township, Montoursville and Jersey Shore.

Due to the frigid conditions, a second-alarm was ordered, bringing additional resources from Nisbet, Nippenose Valley, Hepburn Township and Warrior Run.

The bulk of the fire was knocked down within about 30 minutes, Killian said.

Fire investigators from the borough, the city and Cpl. Nathan Birth, a state police fire marshal, were trying to determine the origin and cause of the fire. Efforts to get any information from state police were unsuccessful.

“In my opinion, you can’t find a nicer guy,” one of Butler’s neighbors, who did not give his name, said of the pastor. The two men have been friends for 20-plus years.

“Just look at that. Those two cars in there, the whole roof of the garage fell through,” the neighbor said as he stared at the ruins. “They are very nice people,” he said of the Butlers, adding that he and others are praying for them.

Borough and city firefighters returned to the fire scene about 9:25 a.m. Wednesday to extinguish a rekindle.