Ladder 77 with Master stream in service
Photo Courtesy of Tom Kelly, III
Photo Courtesy of Tom Kelly, III
Photo Courtesy of Tom Kelly, III
REar of the buildinga nd the collapsed remains of the garage. Photo Courtesy of Tom Kelly, III
By Deputy Fire Chief Robert Greenwood
December 21, 2009
Stations 34, 77, Engine 66, Quint 53 and Medic 324 were dispatched to 72 W. 6th Ave in Collegeville Boro at 1019 hours. Chief 34 (Wentworth) on location at 1021 hours reporting working garage fire with extension into the main house.
Chief 34 in Command and requests Station 66 full company and Station 53 with 2 engines. Special call for R86 (RIT Team) and R84 (Cascade).
Ladder 77 and Engine 34 arrive simultaneously and E34 lays in and L77 goes to the front of the house. CT77 (Burke) takes hose crew to garage and starts fire attack. DC77 (Greenwood) with 34 hose crew enters the house and attempts to make advancement to the second floor of the main house. Interior flashed over and all crews are evacuated from the house. Interior crews suffer burns to equipment, but no injuries.
Exterior operations use several hand lines and L77 master stream to knock fire down. After fire is knocked down, crews reenter the building to continue fire attack and then overhaul. There was a new addition to the house with several void spaces that kept the fire hidden.
Fire was placed under control at 1130 hours and units remained on location until 1347 hours. Fire under investigation by Collegeville Fire Marshall.
Stand by companies put in place were: Quint 58, SD61, E47, and E65.
