SCHUYLKILL COUNTY, PA – Just after 2:30 PM on Friday, March 25, the Minersville Fire Department was dispatched to the area of Sunbury Street and Delaware Street for a reported apartment building fire. Police units in the area noticed smoke coming from the windows of the building on the corner.
Minersville Fire Chief 510 arrived on the scene and confirmed a working building fire and requested the second alarm be dispatched bringing Pottsville Stations 50 and 60 to the scene.
Fire could be seen venting from the second floor on the “C” side of the apartment building as crews were pulling on scene. Engine 514 took the address and secured a water supply. Tower 519 took the “D” side of the building and flew the bucket to the roof while Engine 528 secured a water supply behind the tower. Ladder 51 was directed to back into the A/D corner and also fly their stick to the roof to assist with ventilation.
As crews knocked down the fire visible on the “C” side, brown smoke continued to push from the third story windows and roof. Command then received word that one person was still unaccounted for; a third alarm was struck.
The third alarm included units from Branch Twp., Cass Twp., Pottsville, Frackville and RIT from Schuylkill Haven.
Interior crews located an unconscious victim inside and began to extricate the patient. Firefighters worked hard to pull the victim to fresh air where they began to evaluate the patient as EMS made their way to the victim. Once loaded, the patient was taken to a waiting ambulance and quickly transported to meet Life Flight 5 at their hangar. The patient was then flown to a burn center.
Frackville Ladder 43-20 flew their stick to the roof at the A/B corner while the rest of the third alarm staged their apparatus in the area and their crews assisted those already on scene.
Chief 510 declared the fire under control just under an hour into the incident. Command also requested The American Red Cross to assist multiple people displaced by the fire and a State Police Fire Marshal to aid in the investigation. At the time of publishing, the victim that was rescued was in an unknown condition.
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