SCRANTON, Pa. — By daybreak, the flames that burned through the West Side Hotel on South Main Avenue in Scranton had been extinguished.

But the ordeal for the more than two dozen people who lived in the building's apartments was far from over.

Just a few hours earlier, the decades-old West Scranton landmark was ablaze and writhed in choking smoke.

Scranton Fire Chief John Judge said three residents, one firefighter, and one police officer were briefly taken to the hospital.

"Our crews rescued 5-6 people over ladders and helped get some people out from inside. We continued to search the inside, but the fire was pretty progressed," said Chief Judge.

Jim Marchesani lived there for two decades. He woke to the sound of a fire alarm as smoke poured from cracks in the door. The horrifying

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