SCHUYLKILL COUNTY, PA – At 5:50 AM on Thursday, October 27, the Mahanoy City Fire Department was dispatched to the area of 10 North 8th Street in the borough for a reported house on fire. Frackville Ladder 43-20 and Mahanoy City EMS were also due.
Assistant Chief 455 was the first officer on air and was advised on multiple calls reporting a house on fire with a car still in the driveway. The chief was on scene shortly after reporting a two story, wood frame detached dwelling with heavy fire throughout. The status of occupants was unknown.
Engine 451 was the first arriving unit and was directed to grab a hydrant at 8th & Centre Streets and proceed into the scene. Once on scene, 451 was directed to stretch lines back the driveway and initiate a defensive attack on the fully involved dwelling.
Engine 454 was second arriving and secured the water supply and stretched additional lines to the structure. Ladder 459 was directed to get close to the scene for possible use of the aerial device however they had to detour and come in from the North side of the incident due to not fitting under the railroad bridge near the scene.
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Engine 465 positioned behind Engine 454 as did Tanker 461 before the Tanker was directed to connect to a second hydrant on Centre Street and send water to the scene. Frackville Ladder 43-20 was staged on Centre Street as well and sent their manpower to the scene.
Shortly after arriving on scene, Engine 451 radioed that the homeowner was in a neighbor’s house. EMS was quickly summoned to the patient where they found one person with burns. ALS was requested to the scene and the availability of aeromedical was requested however due to poor weather conditions, the patient had to be transported by ground.
Crews worked to knock down the bulk of the fire from the exterior as the front porch roof collapsed to the ground. As the visible fire was knocked down, firefighters carried multiple ladders to the building and put them to second story windows where crews with hand tools ascended to take out remaining windows and pull ceilings before lines were stretched to the top of the ladders to douse more fire.
The majority of the fire was knocked down within thirty minutes of the first arriving engine as firefighters worked with rain pouring down on them with temperatures hovering near freezing. Portable scene lighting was stretched back the dark driveway so firefighters could see their progress.
Around 8:00 AM command began to have units break down some of the water supply and apparatus began to be released while first-in crews performed overhaul. A State Police Fire Marshal was called into the scene to investigate the cause of the fire.
