SCHUYLKILL COUNTY, PA – Around 11 AM on Sunday, January 24, Schuylkill County 9-1-1 dispatched the first alarm commercial assignment to 140 Walnut Street in Schuylkill Township for a reported building fire. Fire District 27 (Schuylkill Twp.), District 32 (Walker Twp.), District 40 (Coaldale), District 65 (Tamaqua) and Tamaqua Rescue were due.
Engine 27-17 went responding and was advised of multiple calls reporting a working fire at Material Dynamics also known as “The Old Wax Factory.” The Engine arrived on scene and confirmed a working fire with fire through the roof on arrival. A second alarm was struck. A announcement was made that no water was to be used on the fire, only foam should be applied.
The second alarm dispatched Fire Districts 26 (Ryan Twp.), 40 (Coaldale), 54 (New Philadelphia), 59 (Port Carbon), Engine 32 (Pottsville) and a Rapid Intervention Team out of Mahanoy City. Lansford Truck 1521 was also dispatched out of Carbon County.
Engine 27-17 took the address and secured a water supply. Engine 54-11 was directed to the “B” side of the building and initiated an attack. Coaldale Tower 40-24 was placed in front of 27-17 and Tamaqua Ladder 770 was sent behind 54-11. Lansford 1521 was placed behind the other aerials.
Taxing the local water system, fire crews worked to find other sources of water. A dry hydrant was found to be inoperable so a tanker task force was dispatched to the scene.
Mahanoy City Engine 454 and Tower 456 set up on the B/C corner to initiate foam operations from the bucket. Tamaqua Engine 778 and Brockton Engine 27-14 worked to set up a tanker dump site to supply the engine and tower.
Multiple companies loaded all the foam they could find and brought it into the scene and distributed it to many different engines. As the fire on the “A” side began to get knocked down the fire flared up at the C/D corner. A line was stretched off 778 to the “C” side and firefighters carried pales of foam to that location.
As tankers arrived and a good water supply was secured the fire crews began to gain a good handle on the fire. The thick black smoke that once rose high into the sky had turned white and slowly continued toward the sky. The bulk of the fire was brought under control before 2:00 PM.
Tankers from throughout Schuylkill County and some from Carbon and Luzerne Counties ended up being dispatched to assist at the scene. As of 5 PM crews were still on the scene mopping up the fire.
