Firefighter injured in garage fire
A firefighter was injured when the wall of an outbuilding collapsed while crews were trying to extinguish a fire within 10 feet of an Exeter Township home on Wednesday morning, March 17.
The injured firefighter responded with a crew from Mount Penn Fire Company that assisted Exeter crews in battling the blaze at Limekiln and Wegman roads in a rural part of the township, said Chris Jordan, deputy chief of the township fire department.
Firefighters were standing at the front wall of the structure, defending the nearby home, when part of the wall crumbled into the legs of firefighters, knocking them down, Jordan said.
No one else was injured. The Mount Penn firefighter was taken by ambulance to Reading Hospital for evaluation. An officer with the Mount Penn company said the volunteer’s injuries were minor, mostly bruises, and he was released from the
hospital early in the afternoon.
Jordan said crews were dispatched shortly before 7:30 a.m. after a passerby reported the fire.
Flames were already through the roof when the first crew arrived.
With no nearby hydrant, three tankers supplied all the water that was needed. Crews needed only about 15 minutes to control the flames.
“The guys did a good job stopping the fire and containing it to the area of the original structure,” he said.
The Exeter and Mount Penn companies were assisted by crews from Birdsboro-Union Fire Department and the Lower Alsace, Earl Township, Boyertown and Monocacy fire companies.
The building, which was used for storage, was a total loss, Jordan said. He didn’t have a damage estimate.
The township and state police fire marshals are investigating the cause.
The homeowners were listed in county records as Lawrence W. Houp and Gerald W. Houp.