| On Monday, April 25th, 2011 the Westwood Fire Company and an Engine from the Wagontown Fire Company were dispatched at 1633 to the 1100 block of East Kings Highway in the Siousca Section of Valley Township for a reported tree on fire.
Battalion 44 responded at 1635 and was advised that a homeowner contacted 911 when he realized that a tree, reportedly struck by lightening during a storm the previous evening, was now smoking and on fire.
Tac 44 responded at 1637, followed shortly thereafter by Engine 44-5 and Ambulance 44-1 at 1638, Wagontown Rescue 35 at 1639, and Wagontown Brush 35-3 at 1640.
Battalion Chief Sly arrived on the scene at 1639 and confirmed the report of a tree on fire deep in the woods to the rear of the home. Wagontown Brush 35-3 and Tac 44 were instructed to drive through the yard to the rear of the home and Wagontown Rescue 35 and Engine 44-5 were to remain on the driveway.
Crews deployed down a small embankment into the woods and brush area to reach the tree with hoses and tools.
The fire had quite apparently been burning overnight and had been deep seated into the base and truck of the tree making suppression efforts difficult. A chainsaw was utilized to cut into the tree in order to flood the trunk with water and foam to extinguish the fire.
Due to the excessively hot weather, the crew of Ambulance 44-1 drove down the street to the Turkey Hill convenience store to pick up cold water and ice to keep firefighters hydrated.
After more than 45 minutes operating, the fire was declared under control and Tac 44, Ambulance 44-1, and Wagontown Brush 35-3 cleared the scene.
Just as Engine 44-5 was preparing to back out of the driveway, the crew noticed that antifreeze had been pouring out of the Engine. It was determined that a hose clamp had broken off of the radiator causing a leak.
Crews from Engine 44-5 and Wagontown began to work together to repair the vehicle on the scene in order to get it back to the station without damage. Battalion Chief Sly deployed to Napa Auto Body in Caln Township while Wagontown Deputy Chief Patton searched the Wagontown Fire Company's Engineer's Room for a hose clamp.
Firefighter Bob Gathercole, Deputy Chief Deckman, and Firefighter/EMT Kennedy worked to install a new hose clamp on the scene obtained from Napa. A quick repair was made allowing Engine 44-5 to safely return to station.
A HUGE thank you goes out to our neighbors at the Wagontown Fire Company for going above and beyond to assist us with our unfortunate situation!
Also, our thanks goes to the staff of the Turkey Hill at Route 82 and 340 for providing complementary cold refreshments on such a warm day to keep our firefighters properly hydrated.
All units finally cleared the scene at 1811. |
