SCHUYLKILL COUNTY, PA – At 2:01 AM on Monday, March 6, Schuylkill County 9-1-1 sent the first alarm to 14 Draper Street in Gilberton for a house fire. The first alarm included Fire District 44 (Gilberton), District 43 (Frackville), Englewood, Mahanoy City (West End), Shenandoah (Rescue Hook & Ladder) and Frackville EMS.
Marshal 44 arrived on the scene shortly after the dispatch and confirmed a working fire with smoke showing from a two and a half story single family dwelling. Heavy smoke was pushing from the front of the house while flames were coming from a connected room on the “B” side of the residence.
Engine 44-15 arrived on scene and stopped to connect to a nearby hydrant allowing Englewood Engine 369 and Frackville Ladder 43-20 access to the front of the building. A line was stretched off 369 and crews began to attack the fire.
Mahanoy City Engine 465 was directed to come in to the scene from the East side and lay and additional supply line from a hydrant. Ladder 745 positioned next to 44-15 and laddered the building. An additional truck crew went to the roof fro ventilation.
Firefighters found a lack of usable water from the hydrants leading command to request a tanker task force be dispatched to the scene. Mahanoy Plane Engine 44-10 set up a portable pond dump site on Draper Street while tankers from Fountain Springs, Gordon, Shenandoah and Ryan Township were sent to haul water.
Crews stretched multiple lines into the residence while additional crews worked to contain hotspots on the heavily damaged room connected to the “B” side. Mahanoy City Engine 451 was brought into the scene to set up a Rapid Intervention Team. Ashland Community Ambulance Rescue 38-50 was dispatched for their cascade.
The bulk of the fire was knocked down within 45 minutes of the fire arriving crews and the majority of the fire was mopped up by 4:30 AM. The tanker dump site was broken down and apparatus began to be placed back in service.
The American Red Cross was on the scene to help the displaced occupants while PPL was on the scene to cut the power to the residence. One person suffered minor burns on the scene and was treated by Frackville EMS. A State Police Fire Marshal was requested to respond to investigate the cause of the blaze.
