{"id":120195,"date":"2026-02-22T01:21:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-22T01:21:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/120195\/"},"modified":"2026-02-22T01:21:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T01:21:11","slug":"easton-fire-firefighter-in-icu-8-more-injuries-cadaver-dogs-to-comb-debris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/120195\/","title":{"rendered":"Easton fire: Firefighter in ICU, 8 more injuries, cadaver dogs to comb debris"},"content":{"rendered":"

Friday\u2019s raging fire at a rooming house in Downtown Easton<\/a> badly injured one firefighter, with minor injuries to three more firefighters. <\/p>\n

One member of emergency medical services suffered smoke inhalation, and four citizens were taken to the hospital.<\/p>\n

Easton police and firefighters rescued at least nine people, with some victims hanging from windows<\/a> to escape the thick smoke filling the Hotel Hampton, 462 Northampton St.<\/p>\n

Investigators plan to use cadaver dogs to comb through the debris of the gutted building to search for any additional potential victims.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do not have an accurate headcount of the people that were in this building,\u201d Easton fire Chief Henry Hennings said during a morning news conference alongside Northampton County Coroner Zachary Lysek.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo we\u2019re asking at this time, even though we have no reports of anyone missing, we want those people that have not checked in to check in regardless of warrant status or anything else,\u201d Hennings continued beneath the marquee of the State Theatre directly across the street from the fire.<\/p>\n

Shelter established to be relocated<\/p>\n

Officials say 42 of the 48 units were occupied in the five-story hotel and three-story additions to the rear. The American Red Cross Pennsylvania Rivers Chapter is assisting those displaced with shelter and additional services at the Easton Area School District\u2019s Paxinosa Elementary School, 1221 Northampton St.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s where anyone impacted can check in to receive assistance and let investigators know they are all right. Alternatively, those displaced can call the Easton Police Department at 610-250-2282.<\/p>\n

\"EastonNumerous properties in Easton’s 400 block of Northampton Street are closed off from use Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, pending structural inspections following a destructive fire the day before at the Hotel Hampton, 462 Northampton St.Kurt Bresswein | For lehighvalleylive.com<\/p>\n

Easton officials have closed off from use much of the 400 block of Northampton Street on the side where the fire was reported at 10:45 a.m. Friday. That includes nine properties \u2014 businesses and residences \u2014 marked with orange \u201cClosed use forbidden\u201d signs and additional properties around the corner on South Fifth Street. <\/p>\n

Structural engineers with Pennoni are assisting the city in evaluating whether those neighboring structures are safe.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re doing evaluation in the basements,\u201d Hennings said. \u201cIt seems we have some sinkholes that are forming underneath the structures.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"EastonInvestigators follow up Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, on a devastating fire the day before at the Hotel Hampton, 462 Northampton St. in Easton.Kurt Bresswein | For lehighvalleylive.com<\/p>\n

Built in 1900, the entire Hotel Hampton sustained fire damage. An addition immediately to the rear collapsed due to the fire, and inspections are continuing into the integrity of more rear additions that extended to Pine Street. <\/p>\n

Firefighters were originally called for an electrical fire in the basement of the Hotel Hampton, Hennings said. City Deputy Chief\/Fire Marshal Chad Gruver, however, was continuing to investigate the fire\u2019s cause and point of origin.<\/p>\n

The fire raced through what\u2019s known as balloon frame construction of wood frame\/joist\/beam material. These kinds of buildings \u201cpose serious hazards due to rapid and concealed vertical fire spread,\u201d the city said in a news release Saturday.<\/p>\n

A structural engineer inspected the rear additions Friday, Hennings said: \u201cAnd that type of inspection will be needed to determine what happens next to the rest of the buildings.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018He had run out of air\u2019<\/p>\n

Hennings identified the firefighter most seriously injured as Bobby Lewullis, a career member of the Wilson Borough Fire Department. Lewullis was hospitalized in intensive care at St. Luke\u2019s Hospital-Anderson Campus in Bethlehem Township.<\/p>\n

Lewullis declared a mayday about a half-hour into the effort to bring the fire under control, Hennings said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe had run out of air,\u201d the chief said. \u201cHe was on the third floor, and he was lost.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Yard Foundation has started a fund drive to assist Lewullis<\/a>, who is also a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. The Bethlehem Fire Department\u2019s union, IAFF Local 735, announced an additional \u201cFill the Boot for Bobby\u201d fundraising effort<\/a> scheduled for 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27, at Pints & Pies, 2049 Northampton St. in Wilson.<\/p>\n

\"EastonAdditions to the rear of Hotel Hampton, 462 Northampton St. in Easton, and the main structure itself are either gutted or have collapsed Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, following a fire the day prior. Kurt Bresswein | For lehighvalleylive.com<\/p>\n

Easton\u2019s State Theatre canceled a performance Friday night due to the fire, saying ticket-holders would receive refunds, and opened annex space for those displaced by the fire to immediately find shelter and American Red Cross services.<\/p>\n

The Paxinosa shelter being staffed around the clock will be relocated Sunday to a location to-be-determined ahead of the school week, said Peter Brown, executive director of the Red Cross\u2019s Pennsylvania Rivers Chapter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an incredibly stressful situation for the individuals that are involved in the fire and we want to make sure that they have access to support if they need it,\u201d he said Saturday, adding that \u201call Red Cross disaster assistance is free.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cWe are able to do what we do and bring a dozen volunteers over on an hour\u2019s notice because of the generosity of the donors who support the Red Cross,\u201d Brown continued.<\/p>\n

Calls for assistance<\/p>\n

Mayor Sal Panto Jr. thanked all the firefighters and other emergency responders, the State Theatre and FirstEnergy Corp.\u2019s Met-Ed for restoring power as quickly as possible after electricity was cut to around 3,500 customers due to the fire<\/a>. At one point, firefighters were on a ladder next to energized lines, Hennings noted. <\/p>\n

\"FirefighterA fire Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, burns through the Hotel Hampton at 462 Northampton St. and a rear addition that extends to Pine Street.Dan Clerico | lehighvalleylive.com contributor<\/p>\n

Brown said those displaced will require several weeks of assistance, and that a dedicated fund may be set up to help those impacted by the disaster. Panto invited anyone who wants to help to call his office at 610-250-6610 and coordinate through the city administrator, Luis Campos.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I know the community will come together to aid these people who are underprivileged and live in a single occupancy room, single-occupancy tenement,\u201d Panto said. \u201cAnd I want to encourage the community to give what they can.\u201d<\/p>\n

Easton\u2019s director of codes and planning Dwayne Tillman said the Hotel Hampton has been inspected numerous times and had no outstanding issues that he was aware of.<\/p>\n

Hennings listed the mutual aid partners and others that assisted the city on the call as Northampton County 911 and Emergency Management, Wilson Borough Fire Department, Forks Township Fire Department, Palmer Municipal Fire Department, Williams Township Fire Co., Phillipsburg Fire Department, Nancy Run Fire Co. from Bethlehem Township, the Bethlehem Township Volunteer Fire Co., Lower Saucon Fire Rescue, Hecktown Fire Co. in Lower Nazareth Township, Upper Nazareth Fire Department, Easton Emergency Squad, Suburban EMS and Bethlehem Township EMS. <\/p>\n

In addition, providing cover for additional calls were Catasauqua, Slatedale, Nazareth, Plainfield Township, Northampton Borough and Lopatcong Township, with North Penn Goodwill Services out of Souderton responding for firefighter relief.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Friday\u2019s raging fire at a rooming house in Downtown Easton badly injured one firefighter, with minor injuries to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":120196,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[153,155,154],"class_list":["post-120195","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bethlehem","tag-bethlehem","tag-bethlehem-headlines","tag-bethlehem-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120195","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=120195"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120195\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/120196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=120195"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=120195"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=120195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}