6/17/08

Ladder 65 & MICU 67 On Charlestown House Fire

On Tuesday morning at 8:44 AM, Ladder 65 was dispatched along with Stations 61, 72 and Engine 68-5 to 190 Sycamore Lane in Charlestown for a reported house fire. As units responded, additional reports were received stating there was fire coming from the rear of the house and multiple propane tanks were venting. Deputy 61 arrived onscene quickly and reported heavy smoke showing and assumed Sycamore Lane Command. Ladder 65 followed Engine 61-1 up the half-mile long driveway as they dropped a 5" supply line. As the first lines were stretched, fire began to vent from all sides and divisions of the house and Command called for a defensive attack. Within minutes, a second alarm was requested plus 2 additional tankers due to the area being non hydranted and MICU 67 was added for the fire standby. Facing serious water shortage in the initial stages of the incident and with the fires significant growth prior to arrival, the house ended up being at total loss. After several hours of overhaul using construction equipment and wetting down hot spots, Ladder 65 and MICU 67 eventually cleared the scene and were back available by 14:30 hours. During the house fire, additional crews from the PFD ran an odor investigation inside at a church on the north side of Phoenixville which turned out to be a minor electrical issue.