United States (Pennsylvania) - Two residents of an apartment house, including a Jim Thorpe resident who had served several years on its school board, died in a fire early this morning in the same neighborhood where a fire critically injured another woman two days ago. A report from WNEP-TV, Channel 16, says Sharon Joseph died in her second-floor apartment at 119 North Ave. in the Heights section of the borough.

A news release from Jim Thorpe Fire Department said the cause of the fire was determined to be from the careless disposal of smoking materials. The fire department said it removed two victims from the second floor apartment, but it was withholding their names until family members were notified.

Joseph, 63, lived on the second floor of the two-unit apartment house with her daughter. WNEP-TV reported that the daughter escaped unharmed.

Unconfirmed reports from the scene indicated the second victim was a man who attempted to rescue Joseph.

He may have possibly lived on the first floor of the apartment house.

The Carbon County Communications Center dispatched fire and police at 2:22 a.m., and fire departments from Summit Hill, Nesquehoning, Lehighton, Penn Forest Township and Lansford responded with the Jim Thorpe Fire Department.

According to emergency dispatches, the fire broke out on the second floor to the rear of the home, and firefighters rescued two people from a second-floor window. A report from the scene said responders administered cardio-pulmonary resuscitation to the victims while they were on a porch roof outside the second-floor window before lowering them down to the street in stokes baskets.

Property records show Shawn Kresge of Penn Forest Township is the owner of the two-unit apartment house. He could not be reached for comment this morning.

Joseph served on the school board for nearly 20 years, including two terms as board board president. She was elected in 1985 and presided over the controversial decision of where to build new schools to accommodate an increase in the student population. She also has been active in the Olympian Booster Club, the Dimmick Memorial Library and the Jim Thorpe Chamber of Commerce.

This is the second devastating fire in the neighborhood, which overlooks the historic downtown from above the Asa Packer Mansion.

Early Wednesday morning, a fire in the 300 block of South Avenue in borough's Heights section destroyed a twin home, damaged two other homes and critically injured one resident.

Corrinne Miller, 58, of 306 South Ave., was admitted to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Salisbury Township in critical condition. She remains hospitalized in critical condition this morning.

An official ruling on the cause of the fire has not been issued.

But fire officials said preliminarily it appeared the fire started on the upper floor of Miller's house, and the cause of the fire did not appear to be suspicious.

Written by The Morning Call