This browser does not support the Video element.
Massive fire at downtown Easton hotel: Over 12 displaced and 3,500 people without power
A massive fire at Hotel Hampton in downtown Easton sent at least one person to the hospital, displaced over a dozen residents and left more than 3,500 people without power.
EASTON, Pa. - A major fire broke out at the Hotel Hampton on the 400 block of Northampton Street Friday morning, forcing evacuations, sending one person to the hospital, and leaving downtown Easton closed for hours as crews battled the flames.
Fire burns through hotel, residents escape
What we know:
Firefighters responded to calls around 11:00 a.m. Friday after flames were seen shooting from the windows of the Hotel Hampton.
Smoke filled downtown Easton as crews from across the region arrived to fight the three-alarm fire.
Mike Williams, a resident, said he was sleeping inside when the fire started around 10:40 a.m. and escaped using the fire escape after waking up to find the building on fire.
"I went out the fire escape on the roof up there. You literally used the fire escape to escape the fire. Yea.. I had to," said Williams.
Witnesses said victims were seen climbing through windows to escape.
Residents told FOX 29 the fire started in the basement and quickly grew out of control. One person was taken to the hospital.
The building collapsed inside as the fire burned for hours. "The building is gone…it collapsed…it just collapsed inside," said Williams.
More than a dozen long-term hotel residents lost their homes. Rebecca Hughes, a resident, said, "It was my TV, all my clothing, everything, all my personal belongings."
At one point, power was shut down to more than 3,500 customers, including Lafayette College. Some nearby residents evacuated as the fire continued to burn.
A neighbor, Tito Mills, said, "A lot of smoke. It's worrisome if it's going to spread to some of the shops nearby."
Residents now face uncertainty about where they will go next. Hughes said, "I dreaded this moment for years. We had one here a few years ago and it was caught in time and this is what I was dreading."
The fire forced the closure of downtown Easton for hours and left many residents without a place to stay.
What we don't know:
Officials have not said what caused the fire or released the name or condition of the person taken to the hospital.
It is also unclear where displaced residents will go next or when power will be fully restored.