Fire Box 2702

At 0957 hours, the Union Fire Company No. 1 was alerted for a full company response to assist the Cochranville Fire Company (27) on a reported house on fire at 1401 Homeville Road in West Fallowfield Township. Numerous reports to 911 stated a working fire.

Assistant 27 (Harris) was the first to arrive confirming a working fire in a 3 story house. He established the “Homeville Command” and requested both the Working Fire Dispatch and the first alarm Tanker Task Force.

Engine 27-2 took the driveway dropping 300’ of 5” supply line from Homeville Road. Engine 27-5 picked up the supply line for the initial water supply. The crews from both Cochranville Engine’s stretched several handlines and began a defensive attack.

Assistant 21 (Terry) and Captain 21a (Poole) joined a crew from Engine 27-5 at the front door on side alpha. The crew knocked all visible fire on the first floor and moved their way to the second floor via an interior stairwell. The crew was met with high heat and fire conditions and held the fire in check on the second floor. All crews worked until their low air alarms activated and were replaced by another crew from Ladder 21 (Chief Kelley), once they had completed throwing multiple ground ladders.

Engine 21-2 (Lt. Messaros) and Tanker 21 (Deputy Prettyman) were setup along Homeville Road as the nurse operations for water supply and supplied Engine 27-5 for the duration of the incident. Engine 21-4 was sent to a draft site to fill the Tankers in the Task Force.

Additional arriving Oxford units sent their crews into the scene.

All crews were rotated in and out of the structure with fire suppression and overhaul being the main tasks that were accomplished. Crews worked for several hours extinguishing the fire and removing debris from both the second floor and the attic.

The incident was placed under control at 1308 hours.

The final Oxford units were clear of the incident at 1445 hours.

Engine 813 (Rising Sun, MD) and Tanker 23 (Avondale) transferred to Station 21 before being re-directed to the fire scene.

Engine 25-2 (Longwood) and Tanker 36 (Po-Mar-Lin) then transferred to Station 21 for the duration of the incident.

*** SPECIAL THANK YOU to Lena Audette and the Christiana Fire Company for the photos. ***