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House Fire Spreads to Two Others

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Extended Through Attic Vents

THREE HOMES IN MOUNT CARMEL, Pennsylvania, were heavily damaged Tuesday night when a fire in one of them spread to the homes on each side.  The fire was reported around 6:20 pm and firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke showing and fire showing at the rear of the address.

Scicchitano photo

The Shamokin News Item reports:

Mount Carmel Borough Fire Chief James Reed said that once the blaze hit the attic, it moved horizontally into the attics of adjoining structures at both 445 and 449 E. Center St.

"At that point, we worked to vent the structure, to get the fire contained so we could put it out," the chief said.

While flames shot from the roof at 449 E. Center St., Mount Carmel firefighters worked to cut holes in the side of the home to keep the flames from spreading into the walls.

"We worked very aggressively getting this blaze out," Reed said. "You never want to play catch-up with a fire like this."

A Second Alarm Call Brought Plenty of Help
(Scicchitano photo)

The blaze was under control in less than an hour and was out by 8 p.m.

Reed said Tuesday night it was too early to determine an origin or cause. The second and third floors of 445 and 447 E. Center St., a three-story double home, suffered major damage; so did the second floor of the home at 449 E. Center St.

The full story in the News Item is HERE.

Hat tip:  Carmine S.

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Posted by on February 13, 2013 • Filed under: fire, Fires • Tagged: , ,

Truck Driver Rescued From 150-ft. Plunge

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Driver Trapped For 3 Hours

AN OFF-ROAD COAL TRUCK near Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania, rolled down a 150-foot embankment Wedneday morning and landed with the driver trapped inside the cab.  A well-executed rescue operation freed the driver after three hours and safely lifted him to the ambulance for transportation.  He suffered nothing more than bruises and soreness.

The Pottsville Republican & Herald reported:

A dramatic rescue effort Wednesday by emergency personnel from multiple municipalities saved the life of a 60-year-old Blaschak Coal Corp. employee who was pinned in the cab of his 100-ton truck for more than three hours after it plunged into a 150-foot pit at a surface mining operation off Route 61 between Centralia and Mount Carmel.

Alan Johnson Sr., of Ashland RD, was lifted from the pit by a telescopic boom crane supplied by Helfrick Construction about 12:30 p.m. and transported by ambulance to a soccer field complex in Mount Carmel Township, where a Life Flight helicopter was waiting and flew him to Geisinger Medical Center, Danville.

Crane begins lifting Johnson in the stokes basket above.  He is
expected to make a full recovery after being trapped for 3 hours.
(Republican & Herald photo)

Greg Driscoll, president of Blaschak Coal Corp. based in Mahanoy City, said Johnson was backfilling a section of a pit to build a road when his Caterpillar 77B haul truck descended the embankment and came to rest on its driver's side, pinning Johnson in the wreckage for more than three hours.

Driscoll said Johnson, who has been employed with the company for five years as an off-road truck driver, remained alert throughout the entire rescue operation.

"He's banged up and very sore, but we expect him to recover. I talked to his family at the hospital about 3:15 p.m. and they said he remains alert and is going to be OK," Driscoll said.

The driver was wearing his seat belt and it kept him safely restrained throughout the tumble.  Immediately several pit employees made their way to the wreck and provided Johnson with some primary care until the arrival of the fire-rescue services when three firefighters repelled down the rocky embankment and extricated him from the cab.

Read the full account of the incident HERE.

Hat tip:  Ron Y.

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Posted by on August 31, 2012 • Filed under: rescue, Rescues • Tagged: , , ,

Extra Alarm for Heat in Mount Carmel

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A Good Practice to Follow

WHEN THE MOUNT CARMEL (Pennsylvania) FIRE DEPARTMENT rolled up on a working rowhouse fire Friday night, Fire Chief Jack Williams, Jr. went to the 2nd alarm for the exposure problem and soon after he struck the 3rd because of the stifling heat that has settled over the major portion of the eastern states.

MCFDTV image

The fire alarm was sent at 10 pm Friday night and the first-in found fire coming out the 2nd-floor window of the woodframe row house on Market Street.  The family living there were all out to a picnic when the fire started, but while it had a start before it was discovered, the firefighters were able to contain it to the building of origin.  However there was smoke and water damage to four of the other homes in the block.

MCFDTV has posted this raw video taken during the fire by staffer Maria:

 

The Shamokin News Item has the STORY.
MCFDTV has a 50-image photo gallery HERE.

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Posted by on July 24, 2011 • Filed under: fire, Fires, Videos • Tagged: ,

The Bottle Rocket That Thought It Was A Drone

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They're All Getting More Sophisticated Now

SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT TUESDAY MORNING, a fire was spotted in a vacant duplex in Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania.  As one neighbor put it, the fire had a "good start and was blazing" when they spotted it.

WNEP-TV

The Mount Carmel Fire Department found a good blaze going in the 2nd and 3rd floors when they arrived on the scene and called for a second alarm.

Videographer Carmine Scicchitano documented the fireground action:

 

Part Two of the video sequence can be viewed HERE.

The fire was knocked down in an hour and was successfully contained to the two original homes.  One of them had been undergoing renovations.  The News Item reports:

Mount Carmel Fire Chief Jack Williams Jr. said the blaze, which was reported at 11:55 p.m., caused between $80,000 and $100,000 damage to 431-433 E. Third St., which are located between Plum and Locust streets.

Williams said a bottle rocket flew through a screen door on the second floor of 433 E. Third St., causing a fire that heavily damaged the top two floors of the property. It caused minor fire damage to the third floor at 431 E. Third St.

The fire has been labeled accidental, but a criminal investigation has been launched regarding the incident.

Three firefighters were injured during the action, but all three were treated and released.

News Item photo

Read the full account in the News Item HERE.

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Posted by on July 6, 2011 • Filed under: fire, Fires, Videos • Tagged: , ,