One firefighter remains hospitalized

Five injured taming Gay Street blaze

One firefighter remains hospitalized after four fellow firefighters were treated and released following Wednesday afternoon’s blaze in the 200 block of West Gay Street.

As of 11 a.m. Thursday, Fame Fire Company Assistant Chief Mark Scanlon was still under observation at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Scanlon collapsed and lost consciousness due to what was believed to be carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.

A transformer caught fire and the underground electrical fire led to the evacuation of two blocks of West Gay Street and the Chester County Justice Center. Residents who were asked to evacuate their homes were allowed to return Wednesday night.

The four firefighters taken to local hospitals and released were Justin McClure, Paul Widmayer, Dave Smiley Jr, and Sam Catrell.

Initial reports indicated that 12 firefighters suffered injuries in the blaze, but only five were transported to area hospitals.

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 asked all residents living in the 100 and 200 blocks of West Gay and Market streets to evacuate the area. McDonald said about six families were evacuated from the area; residents were allowed to return Wednesday night. Fire department personnel went door to door to check carbon monoxide levels within the buildings, according to officials.

Firefighters had the fire extinguished by about 7 p.m

The following emergency responders packed a two-block section of Gay Street responding to the blaze: West Chester Police Department, Chester County Sheriff’s Department, West Chester Fire Department, Good Fellowship Ambulance, Chester County Hospital Medic Units and Goshen Fire Company.

The Uwchlan Ambulance, West Whiteland Fire Company, West Bradford Fire Company, East Whiteland Fire Company, Longwood Fire Company and Downingtown Fire Department all responded.

Po-Mar-Lin Fire Company, PECO, staff at Chester County Hospital and staff from Paoli Trauma Center and the Hospital of University of Pennsylvania also responded.

BILL RETTEW JR. – DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA First responders and area residents gather at the scene of an electrical fire at a building in the 200 block of West Gay Street in West Chester Wednesday afternoon.