Fire destroys home in Scranton, displaces owner

The cause of a fire that destroyed a house in Minooka remains undetermined and might never be known because of the extent of the damage, Scranton Fire Chief John Judge said Monday.

According to the chief, the fire at 3229 Cedar Ave. was reported Sunday at 5:46 p.m. and already had significantly progressed by the time firefighters arrived.

The owner who lived there alone was not home at the time and there were no injuries reported. The Red Cross is assisting the displaced resident.

Judge said it took firefighters about 45 minutes to control the flames. They remained on scene overnight in case any hotspots reignited.

An engineer will determine whether the house is a total loss. Part of the rear collapsed.

“We will have a city engineer look at the structure (Monday) to see if it needs to be taken down,” Judge said. “The cause is undetermined because of the extent of the damage.”

The first hydrant that was used to fight the fire, and which is fed by an older smaller-diameter water main, did not provide enough water volume, and firefighters had to use a different hydrant connected to a larger water-main supply, Judge said.

The blaze’s radiant heat melted some siding on a home next door. The neighboring home remains livable.

A fire at 3229 Cedar Ave. in Scranton on Sunday,...