4 Dead in Emmaus Apartment Fire

Four people died in a fire Sunday that destroyed an Emmaus apartment house at 36 S. Fifth Street. The names of the victims have not yet been released.

Patch will post further details as soon as they become available.

The fire was so intense that firefighters were unable to get into the double house to attempt a rescue, according to multiple reports.

A woman who lives across the street says her daughter her a "boom." The sidewalk in front of her house was covered with shattered glass from windows that blew out of the burning building.

There's no word yet on what caused the fire. A state police fire marshal was on the scene.

The blaze began shortly before noon on Sunday.

A woman who lived in the first floor apartment of the building told the Morning Call how her father pounded on her door to alert her.

WFMZ posted video that shows flames through the roof of the house.

Michael Marks, who lives on Second Street, watched from the parking lot of Volpe's Sports Bar as firefighters continued to vent the roof and wet down the building hours after the fire.

Marks said he saw flames shooting from the windows and roof when he first got to the scene. He found out about the fire from two friends—volunteer firefighters—who sent him a text message on their way to the call.

The American Red Cross Greater Lehigh Valley Chapter said it is assisting a family and a couple displaced by the fire. The Red Cross provided food and clothing to an  adult and two children; the couple received assistance for food, clothing and shoes.

Lehigh County property records online show that the building is owned by Michael F. and Loretta A. Boyko of Macungie.

Responders included firefighters from Emmaus, Upper Milford/Vera Cruz, Western Salisbury and Lower Macungie, as well as ambulance crews from Emmaus and Cetronia.