Nov. 8, 1969
Flames destroy Scranton Talk department store
Flames consumed Scranton Talk, a longtime Lackawanna Avenue department store, on the evening of Nov. 7.
Scranton police Patrolman Len Cofield spotted smoke coming out the front of the building at 5:39 p.m. and immediately raised the alarm, according to the Scranton Fire Department. The store had just closed at 5:30 p.m.
Firefighters arrived within minutes and got to work putting out the blaze. By 7:30, the Fire Department had the general alarm fire put down but the damage was done.
The roof and third floor collapsed onto the second floor, and all the contents of the building were destroyed. The damage was so extreme the building was a total loss.
Firewalls and the actions of Scranton firefighters kept the fire from spreading to the adjoining businesses Lerner Shop and John’s Bargain Store.
Scranton Talk opened at 305 Lackawanna Ave. in 1914. The other businesses moved into their location at 317-319 Lackawanna Ave. in 1943.
The cause of the blaze was under investigation.
Out & About
At the clubs: Happiness at Tuesday’s Discotheque; Ronnie Dyson from Broadway’s “Hair” and comedian Red Buttons at Mount Airy Lodge; the Fabulous Fantastic “Frantic Freddie” at Lu Jon’s; dancer Remeeta and comedian Bob Howard at the Weldwood; and the Magic Bus at Tipper’s A-Go-Go.
At the movies: “Easy Rider” at the Comerford; “Changes” at the Center; Santa Film Festival at the Strand; “Midnight Cowboy” at the West Side; “Battle Beneath the Earth” and “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” at Cinema North.
BRIAN FULTON, library manager, oversees The Times-
Tribune’s expansive digital and paper archives and is an authority on local history. Contact Brian at bfulton@timesshamrock.com or
570-348-9140.