SCHUYLKILL COUNTY, PA – Around 6:30 AM on Tuesday, March 27, 2012 Schuylkill County 9-1-1 dispatched the Shenandoah Fire Department, Mahanoy City West End Rescue 993, Frackville Ladder 43-20 and Shenandoah ALS Medic 64 to 119 East Coal Street in Shenandoah for a reported house fire. All companies were quickly re-alerted for a working fire with entrapment.
First arriving units found heavy fire from two row home units in the middle of the row. Tiller 745 took the address with Engine 742 taking the A/D corner of the building. The fire was rapidly spreading throughout the houses with heavy fire showing in the rear. Engine 751 took the rear of the row in the alley north of Coal Street. A second alarm was struck brining in Shenandoah Heights for an engine and Englewood for an engine.
Firefighters worked to try to control the flames but the old row home construction allowed the fire to grow out of control. Truck crews went to the roof to perform trench cuts to try to stop the fire from taking the entire row. While the truck went to work, the engine companies began to pull heavy lines to try to knock down the fire.
A third alarm was requested brining in Ashland, Nuremberg, Ringtown Valley and Pottsville fire units as well as EMS units from multiple municipalities including Ringtown, Lost Creek, Frackville and Mahanoy City.
With the use of multiple large attack lines, firefighters were able to begin to bring the fire under control after almost an hour of burning out of control. Crews were rotated in and out of rehab and an extensive overhaul was completed lasting into the afternoon.
The initial reports of entrapment unfortunately proved to be true. One child was able to escape by jumping out of a window to the rear of the house. The child was transported to a local hospital with burns and smoke inhalation. Three other children and one adult were unable to escape and perished in the fire. Schuylkill County officials announced the four had died shortly before noon.
