LANCASTER, Pa. — One person was injured as emergency responders worked to suppress a fire in Lancaster this morning.
Firefighters responded to the 400 block of West Lemon Street early in the morning on April 7 for a two-alarm fire.
According to Chief Todd Hutchinson of the Lancaster City Bureau of Fire, one person was injured and transported to a local burn center.
Hutchinson said the third floor of the building suffered significant damage. The lower floors were also damaged by smoke and water.
The first floor of the building houses Brendee's Irish Pub. Emergency responders posted signs on the front doors deeming the building unsafe.
The American Red Cross was on scene to assist residents who were displaced.
This is the third fire that has broken out on West Lemon Street in the past few months. A fire on New Year's Eve killed two teenage sisters.
“We watched them do CPR for a half hour, 45 minutes. My girlfriend and I are both pretty scarred from watching all that happen," said Jon Weller, who lives on West Lemon Street.
"To have three working fires in one area within six months of each other is very unusual," Hutchinson said.
“I don’t know that they’re related but nobody likes to see other people hurting in their own community," said Ted Houser, co-owner of Hush Money Bikes, which sits across the street from Brendee's.
Weller lives just a few houses down from Brendee's and tells FOX43 many of the buildings in his block are rented, including his.
"There's not enough oversight for landlords. People aren't checking to see if houses are up to code. I know my house isn't," he said.
While the three fires could be coincidental, Weller believes there is a bigger problem at hand.
“This is the kind of stuff that just disrupts life after life and it’s going to keep happening if we don’t do something in our city to make sure landlords are held accountable for their investments," he said.
The cause of Friday's fire is under investigation.