EAST STROUDSBURG — Firefighters put out a house fire Friday on North Courtland St. in East Stroudsburg. No people were injured, but several pets — a mix of dogs, cats, rabbits and reptiles — were found dead inside.
Only two pets, a pair of rodents, survived, said Chief Dale Fetterly of the East Stroudsburg fire department. The building’s residents had not been home when the fire began.
A neighbor called in the fire at 1:03 p.m., reporting black smoke rising from a front window on the ground floor. The home, located near Third Street by Zacharias Pond, is part of a duplex.
Most of the damage occurred on the left side, where the fire started, Fetterly said. The exact cause had not been determined, but it appeared to be an electrical issue that started it.
“The left side is probably repairable, but not livable,” he said. “There’s a lot of broken electrical wiring, fire and smoke damage on the first floor, smoke damage on the second.”
The building’s other half might be livable, but that has yet to be determined, Fetterly said.
Stroudsburg and Stroud Township fire departments were dispatched to assist. Suburban EMS was on scene as well.
North Courtland Street was closed between Second and Fourth Streets while firefighters and Stroud Area Regional Police rerouted traffic.