SCHUYLKILL COUNTY, Pa. – Just after 1 PM on Thursday, July 12, Schuylkill County 9-1-1 dispatched Fire Districts 59 (Port Carbon) and 57 (Palo Alto) to 108 Market Street in Port Carbon for a brush fire endangering a structure.
Chief 59-01 arrived on scene and found a working structure fire at the former Encounters Tavern and requested the box be filled out.
Fire was seen consuming the “B” side of the building and impinging on the nearby residential exposure. Upon further investigation, neighbors were stating there may be people in the second floor of the building. The assignment was re-dispatched with entrapment.
Crews stretched lines in an attempt to bring the fire under control and away from the exposure but smoke could be seen escaping from the “B” exposure.
Firefighters attempted to gain control of the fire in the exposure but were unsuccessful and eventually all crews had to pull out for master streams to be put in operation.
Once the bulk of the fire was knocked down in the original fire building and the exposure by the master streams, crews re-entered and overhauled the buildings.
Crews from throughout Schuylkill County were called in the scene including Pottsville, Schuylkill Haven, Minersville, Tamaqua, Frackville, Englewood and Tuscarora. A tanker task force was also sent to the scene to supplement the municipal water source.
