SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA CO. (WOLF) — A large overnight fire in early December 2025 caused extensive damage to a hotel building on Scranton’s West Side, prompting a multi-alarm response and the rescue of several occupants.
The Scranton Fire Department was dispatched at 2:02 a.m. on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, to the West Side Hotel at 129 South Main Avenue after a fire alarm was reported. When Scranton police officers arrived, they observed heavy fire conditions on the second floor along the north side of the building.
Fire crews arriving on scene encountered intense fire and smoke in multiple areas of the structure. With assistance from Scranton police, firefighters rescued several people inside the building as conditions deteriorated. Due to the severity of the blaze, the incident commander requested two additional alarm assignments, escalating the response to a third-alarm structure fire. A ladder truck from the Dunmore Fire Department was also called in to assist.
Firefighters remained on scene for several hours, with operations continuing until approximately 2:33 p.m. later that day.
Following the fire, investigators from the Scranton Fire Department, working alongside Scranton police, conducted an origin and cause investigation. Officials determined the fire started on the second floor on the north side of the building, but the cause could not be identified due to extensive fire damage. The cause will remain listed as undetermined unless new information becomes available.
The fire resulted in significant fire, smoke, and water damage throughout the building. Engineers from the City of Scranton and the property’s insurance company later evaluated the structure and found that part of the building is unsafe. Based on those findings, officials determined that a portion of the structure must be demolished.
City officials are now working with the building owner and the insurance company to develop a plan to raze the unstable section of the hotel while ensuring public safety.