Discarded cigarette likely caused fire

By Amanda Keister
The Daily Item

June 03, 2008 07:36 am

— SHAMOKIN DAM — A state police fire marshal said a discarded cigarette likely caused the smoky blaze at a business along Routes 11-15.
Trooper Norman Fedder said Sunday’s fire at Sky Communications was accidental.
Fedder said the fire got its start in a garage used by the business for storage and that the cigarette ignited nearby combustibles in the garage.
The fire was extinguished in about 15 minutes and caused about $30,000 in damage, Fedder said.
The structure’s owner, Gary G. Kratzer, 62, of Milton, and the business have insurance to cover the losses. The business is between the Golden Chopsticks restaurant and a BP gasoline station.
Volunteers from seven fire departments responded to the alarm. The firefighters came from Shamokin Dam, Hummels Wharf, Selinsgrove, Northumberland Hook & Ladder, Kreamer, Middleburg and Americus Hose Company, Sunbury.