Man falls asleep while cooking and home burns, official says

A fire significantly damaged one half of a twin home Monday night in Allentown, a city fire official reports. One firefighter was treated for burns at a local hospital, Capt. John Christopher said. A man living in 866 N. Maxwell St. fell asleep while...

Man falls asleep while cooking and home burns, official says

A fire significantly damaged one half of a twin home Monday night in Allentown, a city fire official reports.

One firefighter was treated for burns at a local hospital, Capt. John Christopher said.

A man living in 866 N. Maxwell St. fell asleep while cooking and the fire started in the kitchen, Christopher said. It was ruled an accident. A smoke alarm woke the man and he got out safely, Christopher said.

The home at 866 N. Maxwell St. had "heavy" fire and heat damage on the first floor and some fire damage on the second, Christopher said. It was tagged by the city's building standards office as unlivable, Christopher said.

The attached home at 868 N. Maxwell St. sustained some fire damage, Christopher said.

The fire was under control in about 30 minutes, Christopher said. The fire marshal was on-scene until about 1 a.m., Christopher said.

Firefighters opened the walls in both homes to make sure no fire was concealed, Christopher said.

Two adults and a small child in 866 N. Maxwell and two adults in 868 N. Maxwell couldn't return to their homes, Christopher said. Both found places to stay, he added.

The home at 868 has a "raze or repair" notice, Christopher said, so those residents will be out of the home for some time.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

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