Firefighters were called to 257 Delaware Ave. around 3:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 12, to dowse what Bethlehem Building Inspector Gil Boucher described as a content fire.
`The call came in at 3:30 and they knocked the fire down very quickly,` said Boucher.
The fire started in the apartment above Delmar Florist, occupied by Anthony D’Onofrio. D’Onofrio, unharmed in the blaze, awoke at approximately 3:30 a.m. to the fire and ran across Delaware Avenue to the CVS convenience store to call 911, according to Susan Jacobson, who owns the building. The American Red Cross responded to the scene of the fire and they are helping D’Onofrio, according to a written statement.
The cause for the fire is under investigation, but `the fire people said it was accidental,` said Jacobson.
There was extensive smoke and water damage to the apartment. Fire crews had to knock out one window to fight the fire, and two others shattered because of the fire. Later wednesday morning, the parking areas in front and to the side of the florist were littered with glass, water-soaked ceiling tiles and pieces of an air conditioning unit that fell from a window on the building’s north side.
The flower shop below suffered no fire damage, according to Boucher, but did suffer water damage and is without power, as are the other businesses in the building.
`It will take some time to recover the apartment, but the only reason the businesses are closed is because there is no power,` said Jacobson.
Delmar Florist owner Barbara Ostroff said her plan was to be open on Thursday, March 13.“
