Thursday turned out to be a busy day at Mt. Penn. About 11:30 we were dispatched to assist Lower Alsace(Co4) with a reported brush fire across from the old caretakers house at Antietam Lake. Arriving personnel found an area of about 75×75 feet burning slowly just off the fire trail. A line was raked around the fire until brush units were able to make access and apply water. Due to the large amount of stumps and downed trees in the area there was extensive overhaul. Units cleared about 1:45p.m.
Just after 4;30p.m. the ladder was sent to assist Exeter(Co25) on an AFA to the Boscov’s warehouse at 159 Dennis Dr. crews cleared quickly after discovering the alarm was a faulty smoke detector in the office.
5 minutes after the AFA dispatch we were again sent to assist Exeter at Route 562 & Wood Lane for a vehicle into a tree with entrapment. Engine 1 initially went and the units from the fire alarm were added to the call for extra manpower. Reading City sent their Rescue 1 as an additional heavy rescue per command’s request. Arriving units found 1 person trapped by their legs in a vehicle that had impacted the tree head on. Crews worked for about 25 minutes to free the person and get them on their way to the hospital. Units were able to clear just after 5;30p.m. This crash is under investigation by the Exeter Township Police.
Shortly after 8p.m. we were dispatched as an additional RIT company to Front St. & Pine St. in Hamburg Boro for a fire at the Fairmount Foundry. The initial arriving units had a working fire at one end of the building that extended into the roof area. This fire eventually went to 3 alarms with units coming from as far as Lehigh County to assist. Mt. Penn crews set up just off of Second St. by Ladder 46(Kutztown). Fortunately they were not needed and were released by command just before 11p.m. Other units remained until nearly 1a.m. The cause of this fire remains under investigation.
Reading Eagle/Jeremy Drey photo
Reading Eagle/Michael Yoder photo
