# Allentown Fire: Local Man Accidentally Burns Down Apartment Building While Trying To "Smoke Out" A Ghost
ALLENTOWN, PA — In what local authorities are calling “the most Pennsylvania thing that has ever happened,” a 47-year-old man named Kevin Moranski has allegedly burned down an entire apartment complex in Allentown while attempting to perform an amateur paranormal investigation to get rid of a “creepy vibe” in his bathroom.
Yes, you read that right. Someone tried to smoke out a ghost. With actual smoke. And fire. And now about 30 families are looking for new places to live, probably while also wondering if ghosts even exist or if they just live next to a complete idiot.
According to the Lehigh County Fire Marshal’s Office, the blaze started around 2:30 AM on Tuesday in the 400 block of Hamilton Street, a modest three-story brick building that had been standing since before your grandparents were twinkles in their dads’ eyes. The fire quickly spread from the second-floor unit to the attic, and by the time the fire department arrived, the building was basically a giant brick toaster oven with everything inside set to “crispy.”
So what happened, exactly? Let me paint you a picture, because this is the kind of story that makes you question whether humanity deserves opposable thumbs.
Moranski, a lifelong Allentown resident and self-described “sensitive” who once thought a raccoon in his crawl space was a poltergeist, had been complaining to neighbors for weeks about a “cold spot” in his bathroom. According to witnesses, he claimed the ghost of a “grumpy plumber from the 1920s” was haunting his toilet and making the water run cold every time he tried to take a shower. Instead of, you know, calling a landlord or checking the water heater like a normal person, Moranski decided to perform what he called a “spiritual cleansing” using a technique he learned from a YouTube video titled “How To Banish Demons With Sage And Fire (100% Works).”
Spoiler alert: it did not work.
“He bought like three bundles of sage from a head shop in Bethlehem and then decided that wasn’t enough,” said neighbor Jennifer Wilcox, 34, who lost everything in the fire. “So he thought, ‘Hey, maybe I need to add some lighter fluid to really get the bad energy out.’ Kevin is the kind of guy who thinks if a little is good, a lot is better. That’s how he ended up with a DUI on a lawnmower last summer.”
The fire department confirmed that the blaze originated from Moranski’s bathroom, where he had constructed a “spirit cleansing altar” made of a plastic laundry basket, a cheap Walmart candle, and approximately three gallons of lighter fluid. When he lit the candle, the fumes ignited, and the resulting explosion was described by one firefighter as “what happens when you put a Matchbox car in a microwave, but with more regret.”
“The guy basically turned his bathroom into a bomb,” said Chief William Torres of the Allentown Fire Department, who looked like he needed a drink the entire time he was giving the press conference. “He told us he was trying to ‘smoke out’ a ghost. We told him ghosts don’t exist. He said, ‘Well, they do now, because I just sent one to heaven.’ I don’t even know what that means.”
The fire displaced 37 residents, including a family of five with three kids under the age of six, a elderly woman who has lived in the building since 1978 and lost all her photo albums, and a guy who had just finished building a gaming PC that was worth more than my car. The Red Cross has set up a temporary shelter at a local high school gymnasium, which I’m sure is exactly where these people wanted to spend their Tuesday night.
Moranski, miraculously, escaped with only minor burns to his hands and what doctors are calling “a severe case of realizing he’s a moron.” He was treated at Lehigh Valley Hospital and then promptly arrested on charges of reckless endangerment, arson, and one count of being a goddamn menace to society.
“He kept asking the paramedics if the ghost was okay,” said Officer Mike Reynolds, who arrested Moranski. “I told him the ghost is fine, but his security deposit is definitely haunted now. He did not find that funny.”
Local paranormal enthusiast and founder of the Lehigh Valley Ghost Hunters Society, Brenda Harlow, was quick to distance the legitimate paranormal investigation community from Moranski’s actions.
“This is why we can’t have nice things,” Harlow said in a statement that was probably typed while shaking her head. “Smudging with sage is one thing. Soaking your bathroom in accelerants and lighting a candle is not paranormal investigation. That’s just arson with extra steps. We do not claim this man. Please do not make us claim this man.”
Meanwhile, the internet is doing what the internet does best: absolutely dragging this man through the mud. The Allentown Fire Department’s Facebook page has been flooded with comments ranging from “This is the most Allentown thing to ever happen” to “Bro really said ‘get out of my house ghost’ and took it literally.”
One user, @GhostBusted69, wrote: “This guy tried to exorcise a ghost using the same technique I use to start my charcoal grill. The ghost is probably laughing its ass off from the afterlife.”
Another user chimed in: “Sir, that wasn’t a ghost in your bathroom. That was just the cumulative disappointment of everyone who has ever met you.”
Even the official City of Allentown Twitter account got in on the action, tweeting: “We would like to remind residents that ghost removal is not covered by the fire department. Also, please don’t set your apartments on fire. That is not a valid form of pest control, paranormal or otherwise.”
But here’s the kicker: Moranski is now being sued by at least three separate tenants who lost their belongings, and the building’s insurance company is reportedly considering denying the claim on the grounds that “setting
Final Thoughts
After reading the account of the Allentown fire, it’s clear that this wasn’t just a tragedy of embers and timber, but a stark reminder of the fragile line between routine life and sudden disaster. The loss of life, particularly in a tight-knit community where neighbors knew each other’s names, cuts deeper than any official report can capture. Ultimately, this fire should force a hard look at aging infrastructure and emergency response gaps—not out of panic, but because the best way to honor the victims is to ensure their story becomes a catalyst for change, not just a headline.