Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
5 firefighters hospitalized in electrical fire
Transformer fire spreads carbon monoxide; residents evacuated from two blocks on West Gay Street
WEST CHESTER » Five firefighters were hospitalized after battling an electrical fire in the borough Wednesday afternoon.
At 3:30 p.m., Fame Fire Company was dispatched to North Darlington Street at the corner of West Gay Street for a report of an odor of smoke. Fire crews arrived to find an active house fire. After firefighters entered the building, a distress call was sent out because Assistant Chief Mark Scanlon had collapsed and lost consciousness due to what is believed to be carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.
Initial reports had indicated that 12 firefighters were injured, but a total of five firefighters were transported to an area hospital: Scanlon and four others.
Multiple fire companies responded to the call, and about 15 firetrucks could be observed at the scene.
Fame Fire Company tweeted at 4:57 p.m. that the firefighters
were responding to a “major carbon monoxide incident” in the 200 block of West Gay Street, and that the West Chester Fire Department and mutual aid were on scene.
Maria Ruffin, who lives on West Gay Street, said she saw a firefighter who appeared to be injured, and was stretched out on the ground, but then he sat up. She said he looked like he was dazed and confused.
The Chester County Justice Center, which is located on Market Street, one block away from West Gay Street, was evacuated around 4:15 p.m.
PECO technicians were called to the scene to deenergize the whole block before firefighters entered the burning building again.
During a news conference Wednesday evening, Fame Fire Chief Mike McDonald, said the electrical fire started underground when a transformer beneath the Darlington Commons caught on fire, and then the fire spread to a panel box. He said the fire pushed carbon monoxide throughout the area, and the CO levels were very high around the street. However, there were no gas leaks nor explosions reported in the building that caught on fire. McDonald said there was one business and one residence impacted by the fire.
As a precaution, the West Chester Fire Department was asking all residents living in the 100 and 200 blocks of West Gay and Market streets to evacuate the area until further notice, according to a news release issued by the Chester County Department of Emergency Services around 6 p.m. Wednesday. The fire department was also going door to door to check for the carbon monoxide levels within the buildings, according to the release.
McDonald said about six families were evacuated from the area.
Firefighters had the fire extinguished by about 7 p.m. PECO later restored power to the block.
When asked how the hospitalized firefighters were doing, McDonald said they had the attitude of “typical firefighters” because they didn’t want to go to the hospital, and believed they were OK. He said Scanlon would likely spend a night in the hospital, and the other four firefighters were expected to be discharged from the hospital later Wednesday night.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes carbon monoxide as “an odorless, colorless gas that can kill you.” CO is found in fumes produced from burning fuel in engines, stoves, lanterns and furnaces. CO can build up indoors and poison anyone who breathes it; victims of carbon monoxide poisoning commonly display flu-like symptoms, including: headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion, according to the CDC.