NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY, PA – Just before 11 PM on Saturday, February 11, the Shamokin Fire Bureau was dispatched to the area of 337 West Spruce Street Street in the City for a report of an apartment building fire. The address was quickly updated to 45 South 5th Street for a working fire in apartment 4.
Crews arrived on scene to find a working fire on the third floor of a large apartment building. A working fire page was sent out bringing additional units from Coal Township and Mount Carmel.
Engine 41 arrived on the scene and took the address at the corner of Spruce and 5th Street. Engine 11 positioned behind 41 while Truck 32 took the “B” side of the building and flew to the roof. Mount Carmel Truck 2 was sent to the “B” side as well and set up near the B/C corner. A second alarm was requested to the scene.
The second alarm brought units from throughout Northumberland County as first due crews attempted to get to the seat of the fire. Heavy smoke continued to pour from multiple third story windows and then fire broke out from the front of the building. The third alarm was dispatched on a move up to the City.
A Rapid Intervention Team was set up at the A/B corner and watched over the scene. Crews were able to make some progress on the fire but were then ordered to back out of the third floor so Engine 41 could knock the fire with the Squrt. The fire was knocked down and crews once again entered the third floor.
Some units from the third alarm were brought to the scene to help with containing the fire and were replaced on the move up assignment with units from Columbia and Schuylkill Counties.
As firefighters were overhauling the third floor, the fire crept into the cockloft below the roof line and thick black smoke began to billow from the roof. An additional line was stretched off 41 and after a few minutes firefighters were able to make a good knock down of the remaining fire.
The fire was placed under control after midnight. A local newspaper (The News Item) is reporting a tenant of the building stated the fire ignited in his apartment due to a cooking incident.
This same building was the scene of a fire in July 2012 when a fire broke out in a second floor apartment which was contained to the room of origin.
Check out video from the fire in 2012 below
