On June 4th shortly before 3p.m. Mt. Penn was dispatched, along with several other companies to assist Exeter(Co25) with a reported structure fire at Exeter Fitness, 4270 Perkiomen Avenue in the Reading Mall. Berks advised of multiple calls received for smoke and fire showing from the roof. Responding units confirmed this even before they arrived as the smoke was quite visible from a distance. Due to the large size of the building units were split between the front and rear with several lines being pulled for fire suppression as other crews made sure the gym and adjoining pet store were evacuated. Crews found fire in the multi-layered roof when they opened it up as well as significant smoke inside. The bulk of the fire was knocked down within 30 minutes but crews spent the next hour making sure it was out and all the smoke was vented from the building. It appears the cause was a malfuntioning HVAC unit located on the rooftop. Crews were able to beging clearing the scene shortly before 4:30p.m.
