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Survivors speak about escape from building
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SHAMOKIN — Standing across the street from their apartment building that had caught fire, four occupants who exited the building safely reflected about the events that led up to their early-morning escape.
“I was sleeping when the firemen broke down my door, woke me up, told me the place was on fire and got me out,” said John “Jekyll” Gredzinski, 58, of 711 W. Chestnut St., Apt. B (second floor), who had lived in the apartment for two months. He’s now staying with a friend on State Street in Shamokin.
Dottie (Derck) Korzenicki, 52, of 709 W. Chestnut St., Apt. C (third floor), lived in the apartment building for seven years. “I had no idea what was happening. I smelled smoke and then I got up, grabbed my pants and purse and ran out.
“I lost everything. My only belongings are what I’m wearing,” Korzenicki said. She’s staying with her sister, Paula Derck, of Coal Township.
Fire officials believe the fire started in a wall between the bedroom and kitchen of a first floor apartment rented by James Bannon, 65, of 709 W. Chestnut St., Apt. A. Total damage is estimated at $75,000, and it’s unclear if or when the four homeless occupants would be allowed to move back into their apartments.
Nancy Coleman, 48, of 711 W. Chestnut St., Apt. A (first floor), had moved out of the second-floor apartment above Bannon’s on Aug. 1 and into the first-floor apartment adjacent to the deceased man’s unit. She had lived in the apartment building for three years.
Coleman said she was the first to notice the fire.
“I was up watching TV and just smelled this strong odor of smoke coming through the home,” Coleman said. “I checked out everything and couldn’t find the source in my home, but then someone looked in the basement and said that there was a lot of smoke in the basement, so I called 911.
“After noticing the fire, I shut off everything in my apartment before leaving. Then, everything turned into chaos.”
Coleman said she felt very bad for Bannon because of his health problems and often assisted him when she saw him trying to get into his car. She said Bannon was receiving hospice care.
Bannon’s white Subaru Loyale remained parked outside his apartment Thursday morning.
Edward Tschopp, 60, of 711 W. Chestnut St., Apt. 3 (third floor), who is staying with a friend around the corner on North Second Street after living in the apartment building for five years, stated, “I noticed smoke and thought someone was cooking something. My smoke alarm later went off and I went out onto my front porch to look around and felt heat coming from below.
“The smoke then became very thick to the point where I couldn’t see where I was going. I remember a fireman guiding me down the steps and a paramedic giving me oxygen because I couldn’t breathe.”
The four occupants all said they were grateful to the firefighters, police and American Red Cross personnel who assisted them at the scene.
— Mark Gilger and Rob Wheary
“I was sleeping when the firemen broke down my door, woke me up, told me the place was on fire and got me out,” said John “Jekyll” Gredzinski, 58, of 711 W. Chestnut St., Apt. B (second floor), who had lived in the apartment for two months. He’s now staying with a friend on State Street in Shamokin.
Dottie (Derck) Korzenicki, 52, of 709 W. Chestnut St., Apt. C (third floor), lived in the apartment building for seven years. “I had no idea what was happening. I smelled smoke and then I got up, grabbed my pants and purse and ran out.
“I lost everything. My only belongings are what I’m wearing,” Korzenicki said. She’s staying with her sister, Paula Derck, of Coal Township.
Fire officials believe the fire started in a wall between the bedroom and kitchen of a first floor apartment rented by James Bannon, 65, of 709 W. Chestnut St., Apt. A. Total damage is estimated at $75,000, and it’s unclear if or when the four homeless occupants would be allowed to move back into their apartments.
Nancy Coleman, 48, of 711 W. Chestnut St., Apt. A (first floor), had moved out of the second-floor apartment above Bannon’s on Aug. 1 and into the first-floor apartment adjacent to the deceased man’s unit. She had lived in the apartment building for three years.
Coleman said she was the first to notice the fire.
“I was up watching TV and just smelled this strong odor of smoke coming through the home,” Coleman said. “I checked out everything and couldn’t find the source in my home, but then someone looked in the basement and said that there was a lot of smoke in the basement, so I called 911.
“After noticing the fire, I shut off everything in my apartment before leaving. Then, everything turned into chaos.”
Coleman said she felt very bad for Bannon because of his health problems and often assisted him when she saw him trying to get into his car. She said Bannon was receiving hospice care.
Bannon’s white Subaru Loyale remained parked outside his apartment Thursday morning.
Edward Tschopp, 60, of 711 W. Chestnut St., Apt. 3 (third floor), who is staying with a friend around the corner on North Second Street after living in the apartment building for five years, stated, “I noticed smoke and thought someone was cooking something. My smoke alarm later went off and I went out onto my front porch to look around and felt heat coming from below.
“The smoke then became very thick to the point where I couldn’t see where I was going. I remember a fireman guiding me down the steps and a paramedic giving me oxygen because I couldn’t breathe.”
The four occupants all said they were grateful to the firefighters, police and American Red Cross personnel who assisted them at the scene.
— Mark Gilger and Rob Wheary
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