Crews from Moscow-based RLE Enterprises demolished a portion of the West Side Hotel on Tuesday after a fire tore through the structure last month. Fire investigators, assisted by the Scranton Police Department, determined the fire Dec. 10 originated on the second floor on the north side of the structure, however the cause is undetermined due to the damage from the fire, Fire Chief John Judge said in a news release Monday. The building sustained significant fire, smoke and water damage, Judge added. The fire broke out around 2 a.m. at the building at 129 S. Main Ave. Scranton firefighters rescued five people from the building. Three residents, a firefighter and a police officer were injured in the fire. The fire displaced 26 residents and destroyed the building, which had a bar on the first floor and rooming houses above it. Judge said city engineers determined a portion of the building needed to be razed and it was deemed structurally unstable.
Caution tape surrounds the West Scranton Hotel on 129 S. Main Ave. and the neighboring Post Office on Tuesday, Jan. 06, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Crews work on razing a portion of the West Scranton Hotel building on 129 S. Main Ave. on Tuesday, Jan. 06, 2026. The building was damage by a fire that started on the second floor on Dec. 10. Twenty-six people were displaced. The cause of the fire remains undetermined. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Crews work on razing a portion of the West Scranton Hotel building on 129 S. Main Ave. on Tuesday, Jan. 06, 2026 (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Crews from RLE Enterprises demolish a portion of the West Side Hotel in Scranton on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Courtesy RLE Enterprises)
Crews from RLE Enterprises demolish a portion of the West Side Hotel in Scranton on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Courtesy RLE Enterprises)
Show Caption
1 of 5
Caution tape surrounds the West Scranton Hotel on 129 S. Main Ave. and the neighboring Post Office on Tuesday, Jan. 06, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)