| On the late night of Sunday June 8th, 2008, at 23:35 hours, the City of Coatesville Fire Department and an Engine from the Westwood Fire Company were dispatched to the 800 block of Charles Street in Coatesville City for the reports of porch on fire. Coatesville City Police Department was shortly on scene and advised of the second floor of a rancher type house fully involved with flames.
Coatesville Assistant Chief Tracey arrived shortly there after and confirmed the report. Assistant Chief Tracey assumed Charles Street Command and requested an Engine from the Modena and Pomeroy Fire Companies, and an Engine from the Sadsburyville Fire Company for the Rapid Intervention Assignment at 23:38 hours.
Engine 31-2 responded at 23:44 hours with a crew of five led into action by Assistant Chief Trader.
Ladder 43 pulled pass the house in the front and raised there ladder to the roof where crews began ventilating the roof to get smoke and gases out of the structure. Coatesville Engine 41-2 went to the rear of the structure, deployed numerous hand lines and attempted an aggressive interior attack. Engine 31-2 was the second arriving Engine Company at 23:49 hours and deployed three more pre-connects to the front of the structure and hooked into the water hydrant system for a supply. Engine 31-2 went into service as fire attack and was removed from the RIT assignment.
Due to a large volume of fire and limited communication with interior crews, Charles Street Command alerted everyone by radio and air horns to evacuate the structure and begin a defensive attack.
Crews from Sadsburyville attacked the fire a while until the fire was brought under control at 00:12 hours. Once under control a lot of salvage and overhaul was completed inside the structure and the warm weather conditions weren't helping out a whole lot on manpower. Due to that, an Engine from the Thorndale and Wagontown Fire Company were called into the scene.
Final units, including Sadsburyville, cleared the scene at 02:22 hours, just in time for our volunteers to get a couple hours of sleep and go to work for the day.
Thank you to the Westwood Fire Company apparatus cameras for taking these photos. |
