SCHUYLKILL COUNTY, PA – At 9:52 AM on Tuesday, December 31, the Shenandoah Fire Department was dispatched to 112 South Grant Street in the borough for a reported house on fire with possible entrapment. Mahanoy City West End Rescue 993 and Shenandoah ALS were also due on the first alarm.
Police and EMS arrived on the scene shortly after the dispatch and confirmed a working fire with heavy smoke showing from a house in the middle of a row in a tight alley. They then began to check if the structures were occupied.
Squrt 745 was the first on scene and took the address. A line was stretched to front porch of the fire building. As crews attempted to make entry, the first floor flashed and engulfed two firefighters. The firefighters were quickly extinguished and luckily did not suffer major injuries. The fire was knocked from the exterior and crews moved in.
Ladder 745 positioned behind the Squrt while Engine 742 went directly behind the ladder. Engine 751 took the B side of the row while Engine 747 took the D side. Tanker 759 secured a water supply at the A/D corner.
Helmet camera footage provided by Fireman Bill Moyer Jr. of the Rescue Hook & Ladder of Shenandoah
Firefighters ascended to the roof for ventilation while others entered the exposures to fight the quick spreading fire. A second alarm was requested to the scene as the fire spread to the third and fourth homes.
Multiple lines were stretched into five buildings in an attempt to control the fire. A handful of crews were also sent to the roof to make holes in the roof and pull siding. A third alarm was requested to the scene.
The fire was brought under control in approximately two hours while crews continued to perform extensive overhaul. A Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshal was brought into the scene to assist in the investigation for a cause.
