FIRE AND ICE
Low temps, ongoing renovations present challenges fighting blaze
Firefighters fought both flames and frostbite Wednesday evening battling a house fire at 119 E. 8th St.
The fire was first reported at 5:45 p.m. and took about 35 minutes to bring under control, according to Pottstown Fire Chief Michael Lessar Jr.
An early investigation indicates the fire began in the basement, although the fire marshal is not yet sure of the exact cause, Lessar said.
“It started in the basement and came up through the floor into the first floor,” said Lessar.
He said some sort of renovations seemed to be ongoing inside, hampering immediate efforts to fight the fire.
“My guys were opening doors that should be bedrooms and finding closets. The floor plan was very confusing,” he said.
Three residents were home when the fire was reported and all were outside the building when the first firefighting unit arrived and smoke alarms were sounding, Lessar said.
Other residents were not at home at the time.
There were no injuries reported of either firefighters or civilians.
Occupants of the home, whose names Lessar declined to release, will stay with relatives overnight.
At the scene, neighbors gath-
ered across the street to watch events unfold.
Windows on the west side of the house from both the basement and main floor of the Cape Cod style home had been knocked out and lay in the driveway of the neighboring home.
The firefighting effort required the closure of Eighth Street between Belmont and North Johnson streets, as well as North State Street, from Ninth to Seventh streets for several hours.
As the region weathers extreme cold temperatures this week, so too did the firefighters have to deal with the heat from the fire inside, and the cold temperatures and ice outside Wednesday night.
Temperatures hovered around 20 degrees outside, according to a reporter’s iPhone weather app — more than enough to turn the water running out of the hoses into ice, freezing in place as it ran downhill from the flames.
Great attention had to be paid to where the volunteers placed their feet as they navigated the crisscrossing hoses and slippery
surfaces beneath them.
Some firefighters who were outside in support positions were bundled against the cold while others, like Goodwill Fire Chief Kevin Yerger, had their protective clothing open trying to cool off.
According to Lessar, about 40 volunteer firefighters in all responded to the call.
In addition to the Phillies, Empire, North End and Goodwill fire companies from the borough, firefighters from the Limerick, Norco and West End fire companies assisted as part of the standing mutual aid agreements, he said.
At the intersections, fire police directed traffic away from the scene, while two Goodwill ambulances were on stand-by at either end of East Eighth Street to treat injuries from too much heat, or too much cold.
It was too soon to say Wednesday night how much damage the fire caused Lessar said.