Flames Claim Tenant-Occupied House In Foreclosure Owned By Ex-Firefighter; Renter Unhappy With Investigation

In Scranton, Pennsylvania, The Scranton Times Tribune reports:

• [A] month after fire engulfed his apartment at 1021 Mark Ave., [renter Chuck] Smith says his telephone messages to police and fire officials have gone unreturned. “I’m still trying to find out what happened and getting the runaround,” he said Wednesday. “I would really like to know what caused the fire, to take the necessary steps ... No one wants to say anything. It’s hush-hush.”

• The fire started shortly before 2 p.m. on June 17, destroying an adjoining garage — which contained a Cadillac Escalade — before spreading to an apartment building at 1023 Mark Ave. The blaze displaced about a dozen residents. Charred timbers of the garage remained at the scene Wednesday, and the burned-out Escalade was still on the property.

• The 1021 Mark Ave. property is owned by Tom and Martha Gervasi, who were facing a mortgage foreclosure on the property, according to a civil suit filed in Lackawanna County. [...] Mr. Gervasi, a former city firefighter, was on the scene evacuating his tenants after the fire broke out. His brother is firefighter union Vice President Lt. David Gervasi.

For more, see Scranton Fire victim demands answers. foreclosure arson whale