Martin Tower Smoke Scare a Mystery

Bethlehem firefighters again combed through all 21 floors of Martin Tower on Friday morning but could find no evidence of what caused smoke to briefly pour from the penthouse and roof of the building the night before, Fire Chief George Barkanic said.

The investigation into the incident has been closed and is being officially recorded as a “smoke scare,” the chief said.

“We don’t know what the hell happened,” Barkanic said.

Two alarms were rung in the Thursday night incident and multiple fire trucks surrounded the Lehigh Valley’s tallest building for a couple of hours while firefighters tried to discern the smoke’s origin. They entered with oxygen packs and searched every floor of the building and the roof where aircraft warning lights are still in operation.

Barkanic said five bystanders saw the smoke coming out of the building, as did the first firefighters to respond.

Martin Tower, the last office headquarters of Bethlehem Steel, has been vacant since 2007. Since then, city officials and private developers have been wrestling with how to repurpose the West Bethlehem skyscraper and the 53 acres around it—and whether any public financing should be part of the redevelopment.