SARAH BUYNOVSKY
WNEP

Fire hit a high-rise in Stroudsburg Thursday night. Police confirm one person is dead and more than 100 elderly people are being helped by emergency workers.


It was around 8:30 p.m. when firefighters were called to the Westgate Apartments along West Main Street in Stroudsburg. The apartments are in a Monroe County Housing Authority building with more than 100 elderly residents.

"I heard the alarm and then I heard fire engines, and then there were men banging on the door telling people to get out," said Ann Sheridan.

Investigators say one person is dead.

"Six officers managed to get 108 of the people out," said Chief John Baujan of the Stroud Area Regional Police. "We have one confirmed death at this point. We don't know who that is."

Fire crews managed to get the blaze on the fifth floor of the building under control. The building was evacuated and residents were taken to the Stroudsburg High School gym, just across the street, where Red Cross and other agencies were waiting to help.

There's no word yet on the identity of the deceased or how they died.

The cause of the fire in Stroudsburg is under investigation.