The night sky of a local neighborhood was set ablaze as a fire erupted in a duplex just one mile from Emmaus High School at around 2 a.m. on Oct. 11. Consequently, both sides of the duplex have been declared as unsafe structures, with signs outside, warning not to enter the building. The emergency services responded to the fire within 15 to 30 minutes, according to Sean McCleary, a next-door neighbor to the house that had caught fire.
On the right side of the duplex lived tenant Dawn Claudette Schaffer, a lifelong Emmaus resident who graduated from EHS in 1984. Within the building, Schaffer ran her business of selling her crocheted and woodworking crafts.
Schaffer was renting a room on the right side of the duplex for two and a half years, living under the same roof as the landlord, stating she had paid monthly for rent, which included electricity and gas. Schaffer requested to keep the name of her landlord anonymous…