19 August 2008

1609 hours, 45-B North Liverpool Street, Manchester Borough. A High Risk Strucutre Assignment was dispatched for a reported structure fire at this multi-unit, 2 level apartment building. Engine 23 arrived to find the fire extinguished by by-standers. Careless smoking appears to be the cause. A butt can overheated and ignited a wooden crate in front of the apartment, spreading to a decorative bird-house and the vinyl siding. The fire extended above to soffit, burning the insulation between the roof and the ceiling of the apartment. The complex was evacuated as Firefighters pulled the soffit and siding to perform extensive overhaul. Fortunately the fire did not extend into the void space above the ceiling of either the Division 1 or Sub-Divison 1 apartment. The loss was held to less then $1000.

1st Alarm - Engine 23, Rescue 23, Engine 22-1, Engine 26-1, Truck 24, Truck 89-1 and BLS 23.

Engine 23 and Truck 24 crews perform overhaul operations outside.

18 August 2008

0002 hrs. 115 Cedar Drive, Dover Borough. Engine 23 was due on a 2nd Alarm, Mutual-aid response. 1st Alarm units from Station 6 (Dover Borough) had arrived to find heavy fire showing from this 2 story, single family dwelling. A search and rescue effort found the home void of occupants. Fire had started at the rear of the house and extended up and across the roof. Engine 23 crew went to work on Division 2, aiding with fire control, and salvage and overhaul operations. Engine 23 returned to service around 0129 hrs.

2-alarm blaze damages Dover home

A burning candle might have sparked a two-alarm blaze that sent flames through the roof of a Dover home late Sunday night.

Flames were coming out of the roof of this house when firefighters arrived. (Brock Parker Photo)

08 August 2008

0754 hrs. 3400 block of Board Road, Manchester Township, Engine 23 was due on a Mutual-Aid assignment with Station 24 (Manchester Twp.) for a Motorcycle vs. tractor-trailer. Manchester Twp. units arrived to find a motorcycle wedged under the rear tandem axles of the trailer and engulfed in flames. The motorcycle operator had been thrown from the bike and was unfortunately fatally injured. Engine 23 crew assisted with water supply and scene operations.

Motorcyclist killed in crash

"The rider didn't move at all," Mundy said. A woman had stopped in the middle of the road and was calling 911 for help just before 8 a.m. Mundy then heard an explosion from what he said he believed was the motorcycle's gas tank.

"There was this boom. Everything kind of shook," Mundy said. Daniel James Coulson, 29, of York was killed after his motorcycle crashed into a tractor-trailer pulling out of a business in the 3400 block of Board Road, near Church Road, police said.

Coulson was pronounced dead at the scene from multiple blunt force trauma, according to the York County Deputy Coroner Mary Breighner. He was wearing a helmet, she said.

Just before 8 a.m. Friday, a Freightliner truck and trailer pulled onto Board Road and was attempting to go left when it was hit by Coulson's 2003 Suzuki motorcycle, according to Northern York County Regional Police.

Several witnesses said the motorcycle was traveling at a high rate of speed before the crash, Police Chief Carl Segatti said.

The motorcycle was unable to stop before hitting the trailer in front of the rear tandem wheels, Segatti said.

The motorcycle became wedged under the trailer and burst into flames, he said. Coulson was thrown clear of the wreckage.

Since 2000, Coulson had pleaded guilty in York County to eight traffic violations, including twice disregarding traffic signals; twice driving in excess of the maximum speeds by 25 and 29 mph; and careless driving, according to court records.

Before continuing on his way to work, Mundy said he did not know Coulson was dead.

He said he had a bad feeling by the way people left him lying along the road.

Looking at the aftermath, Mundy also had a feeling speed was a factor.

He said the Board and Church roads intersection is relatively safe with good visibility.

Mundy lives in Manchester Township and said he drives through the intersection regularly.

"You can see up and down the road," Mundy said.

20 July 2008

1932 hrs., 600 block of Locust Point Road, Conewago Twp., Rescue 23 was due on a mutual-aid response with Station 26 for a motor vehicle accident with reported roll-over and entrapment. Enroute, York County Control reported additional information as 1 person entrapped under the vehicle. Rescue 26 arrived with Chief 26-1 (Vogleson) on-board to confirm 1 patient entrapped. The patient (driver) was not wearing her seatbelt and was partially ejected through the passenger side window as the car rolled onto the passengers' side. The patient was trapped, face-down, out of the passenger side window, with the roof of the car against her upper back. Chief 26 (Tawney ) assumed Operations Sector and Captain 23-2 (Stevens) assumed Incident Command. Members of Rescue 26 and Rescue 23 went to work, first stabilizing the vehicle, then cutting 3 roof posts so as to rotate the roof out of position, freeing the victim. The extrication time was 30 minutes. The rescue was complicated not only by the patient's position, partially in and out of the vehicle, but the vehicle position as well. The car came to rest on it's side, on a grade with light rain falling and leaking oil from the car's engine.

Responding Units:

Fire/Rescue - Rescue 26, Rescue 23, Engine 26-1,
                       and Engine 26-2

Landing Zone - Engine 31

EMS- Ambulance 28, Medic 102

Aeromedical - Life Lion 1

Police log: Teen hurt in rollover crash in Conewago Township

Article Last Updated: 07/21/2008 03:34:17 AM EDT

BROCK PARKER

An 18-year-old Mount Wolf girl was flown to the hospital after she hit a tree and flipped her Volkswagen Beetle in Conewago Township Sunday night.

Amanda Lepley was driving the 1999 Volkswagen southbound in the 600 block of Locust Point Road at 7:32 p.m. when she drove off the right side of the road after a sharp turn in the roadway. Her car struck a tree and overturned back into the roadway, according to Northern York County Regional Police.

Lepley was pinned in the car until members of the Strinestown Community Fire Company and Union Fire Co., Manchester extricated her from the vehicle. She was flown by Life Lion helicopter to York Hospital, where she was in stable condition late Sunday night.

Police are still investigating the accident.

15 July 2008

1158 hours, West York Borough, 3 South Highland Avenue. A reported structure fire escalated rapidly to a multiple alarm fire. The original dispatch came in around 1145 hours, just around the corner from West York's Reliance Fire Company. First arriving units encountered heavy fire and requested mutual-aid quickly. Rescue 23 was due on a RIT (Rapid Intervention Team) assignment. The four member team was assigned to "C" Sector covering the rear of the fire building and the rear of the Side "B" exposure, a multiple unit row home. Fire extended out of the structure of origin and into that exposure. As part of RIT Operations, Rescue 23 set multiple ground ladders, removed windows and enlarged openings for Firefighter egress. Units from across York County and York City battle the blaze in 90 degree temperatures. Rescue 23 returned to service around 1600 hrs.

Fire burns four West York buildings

Four firefighters were injured battling the blaze on Highland Avenue.

 MIKE HOOVER
Daily Record/Sunday News

Article Last Updated: 07/15/2008 08:53:00 PM EDT

Firefighters look over a wall between two South Highland Avenue homes. (DAILY RECORD/SUNDAY NEWS- BIL BOWDEN)

Firefighters work to battle a blaze that began at 3 South Highland Ave. in West York this afternoon. (DAILY RECORD / SUNDAY NEWS -- BIL BOWDEN)

Once the South Highland Avenue fire was extinguished, firefighters checked over the structures for hot spots. (YORK DAILY RECORD/SUNDAY NEWS- BIL BOWDEN)

"There wouldn't have been someone big enough to stop me if someone didn't say Travis was fine," Bell said. The Robinsons lost everything in the three-alarm fire, which started about 11:45 a.m. Tuesday. The accidental, electrical blaze started on the second floor of 3 S. Highland Ave., State Police Fire Marshal Pat McKenna said. Four houses, one of which included two apartments, were damaged by the fire, leaving eight adults and six children homeless, West York Borough Council President Shawn Mauck said. The American Red Cross is helping at least four families. More than 50 firefighters battled the fire, which was brought under control just after 2 p.m. Tuesday. One firefighter had to be taken to an area hospital for heat exhaustion, and three others were treated at scene for minor injuries, Mauck said. As the fire burned, heavy black smoke filled the sky. Deb Robinson said she knew it was trouble when she saw the smoke after she left Country Meadows retirement community, where she works. She and her husband have rented an apartment at 3 S. Highland Ave. for 12 years. Though their cats were saved, they did not know the fate of their pet lovebird, Pepper. Neighbor Alvenia Saxon said heavy flames poured out of 3 S. Highland Ave. and spread to the adjoining buildings by the time firefighters arrived. Brittany Sload-Leight, who owns 7 S. Highland Ave., ran to see if her friend and renter Shannon O'Malley was okay. O'Malley was not home at the time of the fire. Sload-Leight called her to tell her that firefighters got her dog out, a boxer named Allie. She was in tears when she heard the news, Sload-Leight said. Jeff Seitz, owner of The Other Place across the street, said he was opening the bar for his first customer when he was alerted to the fire. "There were flames coming out of the roof, and the windows were blowing out from the heat. It went so quickly I couldn't believe it," he said.

Staff writer Teresa Ann Boeckel contributed to this report.

25 May 2008

1453 hrs, East Manchester Township, 180 Coventry Cross Road. A reported car fire next to a structure brought a 1st Alarm Structure assignment to Asbury Point, a remote residential development. Engine 23 and Tanker 23 were due on Automatic-Aid with Station 22 (Mt. Wolf), Truck 24 (Manchester Twp.), and Ambulance 23 (Manchester). The owner was working on his Ford Explorer in the driveway of his home when it caught on fire. The fire quickly spread to the nearby attached garage. Assistant Engineer 23 (Sipe) who lives nearby responded directly to the scene. On arrival he discovered the fire extending into the garage and notified the Duty Officer over the tactical frequency. Captain 23-2 (Stevens) transmitted the updated information to York County Control and requested 2 additional Tankers while still enroute to the scene.

This residential development is protected by a private water system which is fed by springs to a large holding tank. The hydrants are gravity fed from the tank. Deputy 24 (Madzelan) arrived prior to the apparatus, assumed Command and requested a 2nd Alarm Assignment. Engine 22-1 initiated the fire attack on arrival followed by Engine 23 who laid-in from the hydrant. It was quickly discovered that the hydrant was without water when opened. Water Supply Operations immediately switch to a Tanker Operation. The fire was quickly knocked-down and held to the vehicle and the garage area of the house. Engine 23 and Tanker 23 returned to service by 1645 hrs.

This picture, provided by a neighbor, was taken prior to FD arrival.

06 May 2008

 

4-alarm fire in Red Lion

CHRISTINA KAUFFMAN -- The York Dispatch

Article Last Updated: 05/06/2008 06:37:13 PM EDT

VIDEO: Apex Millworks fire

 Almost 40 employees of Apex Millworks in Red Lion were safely evacuated this afternoon when a dust bin that collect urethane caught fire.

The fire was reported at about 12:45 p.m. and by 1 p.m., the blaze had already gone to four alarms.

Apex Chief Operating Officer Michael Sampere said: "All of a sudden we had major smoke coming out of the back of the building."

At least four fire departments responded to the blaze, which was emitting a smoke that fire officials said could be toxic.

Sampere said the bin was full of urethane, a byproduct of sanding at the factory.

Sampere said firefighters told him the blaze had been contained to the back part of the factory, located on South Church Lane.

Sampere said he had not been told what caused the blaze, but he suspected from its location, it could have been an electrical fire caused by a motor.

Leo Fire Department Chief Dave Stump said people who were outside standing in back of the factory were evacuated and asked to move to an area where the smoke, which was giving off a toxic gas, was not blowing.

He said he had no idea how much damage has been done to Apex Millworks, but that the fire is under control as of 1:45 p.m.

York Area Regional Police detectives were investigating the fire and state police Fire Marshal Patrick McKenna

was expected to arrive.

 

WGAL TV 8 slideshow

 

26 April 2008

2120 hrs. West Manchester Twp., Smith's Motel, 4300 block of West Market Street, Engine 23 was due on a working structure fire. Engine 23 and crew were detailed to Dover Township Station 9 to cover while their Firefighters enjoyed the Company's annual Banquet. While there, and during a heavy thunderstorm, West Manchester Township units were dispatched to a reported structure fire at Smith's Motel. On arrival Chief 50 (Nichols) found smoke showing from the roof and requested a "Working Fire Assignment." Engine 23 responded in place of Station 9. On-scene Engine 23 crew went to work pulling walls and ceilings and doing overhaul work. Engine 23 cleared the incident around 0030 hrs.

22 April 2008

21 March 2008

1008 hrs., Newberry Twp., 65 Village Drive. Tanker 23 was due on a mutual-aid response for a working residential structure fire. Initially dispatched as a car fire next to a structure, Newberry Township Police arrived to find that the fire had extended to this split level home. 1st Alarm units had a good knock-down on the fire, holding it to the exterior of the building. Tanker 23 crew went to work on the exterior of Side A, performing overhaul operations.

27 February 2008

1053 hrs., Manchester Twp. at 2466 N. George Street, the Fisher Auto Parts Store (1st floor) and apartment (2nd floor). An off duty York City Fire Chief (Saylor) was passing by this location when he witnessed heavy smoke pushing from the structure. A call placed to 911 summoned 1st Alarm units. York County Control advised Deputy 24 (Madzelan) upon his response that the Chief Saylor was on scene and advising of a working structure fire with occupants being assisted from the building. Deputy 24 immediately requested a 2nd Alarm assignment. Engine 23 responded on 2nd Alarm with a crew of 5 and were assigned to fire suppression efforts on both Division 1 and 2, assisting 1st Alarm companies already in service. 1st Alarm companies had a good knock on the fire, but a void space between the Division 1 ceiling and Division 2 floor allowed the fire to become deep seated and required extensive overhaul operations.

Click here for Video

Seven fire companies helped put out a blaze at a business and apartment above it.

Desiree Posey shivered in her pajamas Wednesday morning, with a blanket over her shoulders and sheets wrapped around her bare feet, as she watched her home burn.

Bits of ash clung to her face.

"I loved that apartment," Posey said. "That was my home. What am I going to do now? I've never been through this before."

At least seven fire departments were needed to put out the fire that badly damaged 2466 N. George St. in Manchester Township, where Posey and her son lived above Fisher Auto Parts, according to West Manchester Township Fire Chief Dave Nichols.

The fire appeared to start on the second floor and spread from there, said Nichols, who spoke on behalf of Manchester Township Department of Fire Services, which was in charge of the scene.

Fire gutted most of the apartment, Nichols said. Posey said she thought both of her cats died in the blaze.

Both the apartment residents refused treatment or transportation to York Hospital, Nichols said.

Fisher Auto Parts suffered heavy smoke and water damage as crews worked to extinguish the apartment fire, Nichols said. Later, crews had to tear down the ceiling to put out fire that spread between the floors.

"The business is probably going to be out of business for a while," Nichols said.

Fisher Auto Parts was insured, regional manager Geoffrey Shifflett said. This was one of 30 stores in the state, Shifflett said.

Richard Saylor, an Assistant Fire Chief with York Fire/Rescue Services, first spotted the blaze just before 11 a.m. It was his day off, and he was on his way to the post office.

He was curious when he saw the smoke down the road. Saylor said that when he got closer, he saw 4-foot-high flames leaping from the building. That's when he called 911 and started looking for fire hydrants to help responding crews. "I've been a firefighter for 38 years, and I never came across a fire while I was on duty," Saylor said. "I'm off, I'm going to the post office, and there it is."

Someone had flicked the cigarette against the wall outside the main entrance to the Four Points at Sheraton hotel on Toronita Street. The heat from the butt caught the Styrofoam backing of the stucco on fire, township deputy chief Joe Madzelan said.

The fire smoldered in the wall, igniting the insulation and sending acrid smoke wafting through the five-story hotel, Madzelan said.

"It was one of those freak things," the deputy chief said.

The building wasn't threatened by the fire, reported at 7:10 a.m., but the hotel was evacuated nonetheless because smoke had been distributed throughout the hotel by the ventilation system and elevator shafts. Firefighters from eight departments - Manchester, Springettsbury and Spring Garden townships, and York city, Manchester, North York, West York and Mount Wolf - were summoned to the scene to assist with the evacuation.

Madzelan said the manpower was needed to go room-to-room to make sure everyone got out of the hotel and to vent the smoke from individual rooms.

No injuries were reported.

Among those evacuated was Rich Boudreau, in town for business from Potomac Falls, Va.

Boudreau said the fire alarm woke him about 7:15 a.m. He said he checked the hallway and, not seeing any smoke, got dressed. A few moments later, someone knocked on his door and told him he had to evacuate.

When the alarm sounded, he said, "I was looking around for the button to turn it off."

He was nonchalant about having to evacuate.

"I've been through a couple of these in my career on the road," he said.

Reach Mike Argento at 771-2046 or at mike@ydr.com.

18 August 2007

06 July 2007

1650 hours, Tanker 23 was due on a 2nd Alarm assignment to 150 Red Stone Drive in Newberry Township. Tanker 23 and a crew of 5 aided 1st Alarm units already working with fire suppression efforts and shuttled water to the scene.

CHRISTINA KAUFFMAN The York Dispatch

They'll never be able to replace 28 years of memories.

But this morning, 62-year-old Stephen Vugrinec and his 61-year-old wife Sharon Vugrinec began the process of replacing what little they could: medications lost in a fire that leveled the Newberry Township bi-level they called home for almost three decades.

The couple are staying with daughter Colleen Sowers, 38, who lives in the same neighborhood as the destroyed home at 150 Red Stone Drive. She said this morning that her parents intend to use insurance money to rebuild the house.

"It was very devastating," Sowers said. "Twenty-eight years of memories. I mean, everyone's OK but then that hits you, that that's gone."

Sowers said her mother was shopping and her father was standing on the porch at about 5:30 p.m. when a storm threw lightning at the fireplace flume, a piece of metal sticking out of the chimney.

"It did actually push him back in to the door," Sowers said.

He was pushed to the ground, but when he regained footing and walked back into the house, he

He ran back into the house to retrieve the couple's dog, chocolate lab Zoey.

"They got the dog when they retired," Sowers said. "That's their baby. They would have been devastated."

The two-alarm fire destroyed the house over the
next two hours, despite the efforts of Lewisberry Fire Co. firefighters.

Firefighters were able to save some pictures and an American flag that commemorated Sowers' great-grandfather's service in World War II.

Also salvaged were a fireproof safe and some wicker furniture.

Emergency medical responders evaluated Stephen Vugrinec, a retired driver for Stroehmann's bread, and determined he wasn't seriously injured, Sowers said.

Sowers' daughter and grandson, Nicole Sowers and her 4-month-old baby, who also lived at the house, were also uninjured, Colleen Sowers said.

Sharon Vugrinec, who retired from the office of Tyco Electronics, didn't know about the fire until after firefighters had already packed up.

-- Reach Christina Kauff man at 505-5436 or ckauffman@yorkdispatch.com. 

21 May 2007

2010 hrs. Codorus Furnace Road in the area of Hillview Road, Engine 22-2, Rescue 23, Tanker 23, Rescue 24, Ambulances 23, 24 , 41, Medic 102 and 98 were due for a motor vehicle accident with roll-over and entrapment. The single vehicle accident involved three patients, 1 discovered in the vehicle in critical condition. That patient was rapidly extricated, assessed, and discovered to be in traumatic arrest. Personnel initiated resuscitative efforts and transported the victim without delay.

"It was a combination of speed, alcohol and no seat belts. Again," Northeastern Regional Police Chief Darryl Albright said. "I don't know when people are going to get the message. We keep preaching about drinking and driving and (the danger of not wearing) seat belts.

"When you add them together it equals trouble. Or death."

Killed in the crash was Justin Roth, 26, of Windsor Way in York Township.

He was the front-seat passenger in a Volkswagen Jetta driven by Andrew Clark, 23, of 511 Green Meadows Drive in York Township, Albright said.

Clark and back-seat passenger Duran Yanez, 23, of Dallastown, were injured and taken to York Hospital for treatment, the chief said; Yanez was treated and released.

Clark was in satisfactory condition this morning, a hospital spokesman said.

Car flipped: According to Albright, the men were driving from Starview to Hellam Township around 8:10 p.m. on Codorus Furnace Road when Clark likely lost control after going over a hump in the road between Saginaw and Hillview roads.

"He went over that hump traveling at a high rate of speed," Albright said. "He went off the road on the left side, went up over an embankment and into yards. The car began flipping head over heels and ended up on the roof next to a holly tree. Fortunately, there was nobody coming the opposite direction, or it would've been a head-on (crash)."

Investigators had the road closed most of the night, doing a full accident reconstruction, according to the chief.
"There was alcohol all over the car," he said. "We found beer cans inside and outside the car, and a partial bottle of Jack Daniels."

Roth was pronounced dead at 9:03 p.m. at York Hospital, according to the York County Coroner's Office. No cause or manner has been determined, and an autopsy is scheduled for tomorrow.

Albright said his department is waiting on results of a blood-alcohol test done on Clark.

The cause of Roth's death is still pending; an autopsy will be performed tomorrow, according to the coroner's office.

10 May 2007

2342 hrs., East Manchester Township, the intersection of Park Street and Conewago Creek Road. Northeastern Regional Police Department requested assistance after the driver of a mini-van fled from them when they attempted to make a traffic stop. The driver failed to stop at the intersection and mounted an embankment with the vehicle. He exited the van and ran along the creek on foot to flee from Police. He then entered the water to escape and went under the water in the middle of the creek. Rescue 23, Engine 23, Boat 27, Boat 18, Engine 22-2, Ambulance 23, Ambulance 28 and Medic 102 were due on the response. After an hour and a half search, Rescuers were able to recover the body about 100 yards down stream from the victim's van.

East Manchester Twp, York County - Investigators have identified a man who accidentally drowned while attempting to run from a police officer after a pursuit this morning. Police say Robert Keefer Junior, 41, of Manchester tried to get away by running into the Conewago Creek.

Police had attempted to pull over Keefer just before midnight because they suspected he was driving drunk. Instead of stopping his vehicle, officers say Keefer took off.

After a brief chase, police say Keefer crashed his car into an old bridge abutment on Conewago Creek Road. He apparently got out of his minivan and ran into the creek.

"The subject dove in the water and started to swim away," said Chief Darryl Albright of the Northeastern Regional Police Department. "The officer had the flashlight on him and kept giving commands to come back in towards the shore and just a short time later the subject went under water and that was the last the officer saw of him."

Keefer's body was located under the water about a hundred yards from where he crashed his van. An autopsy is planned later Friday at Lehigh Valley Medical Center in Allentown.

By MIKE HOOVER

May 12, 2007 — Robert E. Keefer Jr. had more than his share of problems with the law, the courts and prison, according to family members.

12 April 2007

1930 hrs., Bell-Mark Technologies, 4500 West Canal Road, Dover Township. Station 9 (Dover Township) was due along with mutual-aid companies for a reported commercial structure fire. Arriving apparatus discovered a working fire in one of the two buildings on the property. The involved structure was a warehouse. Bell-Mark is a printing company employing about 50 people at the facility since 1989. The working incident went to 4 alarms before being brought under control. Deputy Chief Heilman, Engine 23 and 8 personnel responded to assist Station 9 with fire suppression efforts.

(Pictures courtesy of York Daily Record)

 

 

 

(Photos courtesy of www.Fire-Ground.com)

 

 

 

Four-alarm blaze destroys assembly building in Dover

BROCK PARKER -- The York Dispatch

Article Last Updated: 04/13/2007 12:58:37 PM EDT

 

 

 

Four-alarm blaze destroys assembly building in Dover

BROCK PARKER -- The York Dispatch

Article Last Updated: 04/13/2007 12:58:37 PM EDT

 

While flames about 50 feet high consumed a Bell-Mark Technologies assembly building in Dover Township last night, longtime general manager Dale Miller stood stunned on the front lawn watching his business burn.

"We closed at 5 o'clock (p.m.) and everything was fine," Miller said. "I don't know what we're going to do. Our whole warehouse is gone. Everything we own is in there. ... It's unbelievable."

Two firefighters suffered facial burns while battling the four-alarm blaze, which broke out at one of two Bell-Mark buildings at 4500 W. Canal Road at about 7:30 p.m., said Bernadette Lauer, spokeswoman for the York County Department of Emergency Management.

The firefighters were injured while fighting the blaze from a basket atop a fire engine ladder, Lauer said. Both firefighters were taken to local hospitals, but their names and which fire companies they worked for were not available this morning.

About 53 people work at Bell-Mark Technologies, which makes printing equipment for food and pharmaceutical companies, Miller said. The usiness has had operations in Dover since 1989 and is owned by John Marozzi, Miller said. Its headquarters are in Pine Brook, N.J.

The building destroyed in the fire was a manufacturing and administrative facility, said company spokesman Glenn Breslauer.

Breslauer said Bell-Mark expected "very minimal impact" to its daily operations due to the loss of the building.

"The company's main manufacturing building remains undamaged and it is expected that all projects proceed as planned," he said.

And all critical business data is backed up at another site.

Flames about 50 feet high caused the roof to collapse, and by 8:30 p.m. cinderblock walls began to crash down in giant pieces, sometimes crushing vehicles next to the structure.

Fifteen fire companies used 34 pieces of equipment to battle the blaze, Lauer said. Fighting the fire was difficult because there weren't any fire hydrants near the building, she said.

The cause of the fire was being investigated by a state police fire marshal last night, Lauer said.

Because there were chemicals inside the manufacturing plant, Lauer said the state Department of Environmental Protection was also called in to monitor the air quality.

The DEP was testing water at a unnamed tributary on the property to make sure there was no runoff from the plant, spokeswoman Sandy Roderick said this morning. There were paints, solvents and an alcohol solution in the building, she said.

If anything turns up, the DEP could do further testing, but in general Roderick said "fire companies, once they're on scene, keep things very well contained."

Dover Township resident Pam Carbaugh said she was driving home at 7:30 p.m. last night when she smelled something burning and drove to the Bell-Mark plant. Carbaugh said she saw fire coming out of the side of the building and ran to the street for help.

"I didn't have my cell phone so I flagged down a young guy and he let me use his cell phone (to call 911)," Carbaugh said. "I've never seen a fire in my life. I never dreamed that it would turn out like this."

Miller said he got word about the fire from an employee and drove back to the building.

Lauer said the building was completely destroyed. Firefighters called the fire under control at 9:40 last night but continued dousing the smoldering remnants of the building.

Neighbors and several Bell-Mark employees stood nearby watching the massive fire.

Jose Hernandez said he's worked in tech support at the company for seven years, and he was optimistic that the business would be back up and running soon.

"We'll come back," Hernandez said. "We're like the phoenix, we'll rise from the ashes."

- Charles Schilllinger contributed to this story. Reach Brock Parker at 505-5434 or bparker@yorkdispatch.com.

 

 

WGAL TV 8 NEWS VIDEO

Raw Footage - Tape 1

Raw Footage - Tape 2

 

4 April 2007

1810 hrs. Engine, Tanker and Rescue 23 were due on this 1st Alarm structure fire at 12 Barberry Court in Manchester Borough. Chief 23-1 (Heilman) arrived to find this residential structure, still under construction, heavily involved in fire. Engine 23 laid in from the hydrant and put it's master stream into operation during this defensive attack. The fire was quickly knocked down and Truck 24 went into service for an aerial overhaul as the structure had collapsed into the basement. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Station 23 Firefighters were joined by Truck 24, Engine 22-1 and Engine 9-1 (RIT). Station 26 transferred to Station 23 for stand-by.

Shortly after 6 p.m., firefighters arrived to a fully involved fire at a wood-framed home under construction at Barberry and North Poplar courts.

The framing was leveled, causing $50,000 in damage, said State Police Fire Marshal Patrick McKenna.

McKenna said he determined the fire was arson because there were no utilities connected to the property and people were seen running from the area. He declined to say how the fire was started or in what area of the building because it may hinder the investigation. He did say there are suspects.

Manchester Borough Fire Chief Joseph Stevens said there was little firefighters could do to save the home. The fire already had a good start and the construction material quickly ignited, he said.

“There is not a whole lot to protect the wood,” he said.

It took firefighters about 10 minutes to get the fire under control by using a hose cannon from the top of one of the trucks, he said.

23 March 2007

1930 hrs. 725 Locust Point Road in Conewago Township, a private driveway adjacent to Interstate 83, Engine 23 was due on this residential structure fire. Chief 26 (Tawney) observed a large column of black smoke in the area enroute to the scene and requested the Tanker Task Force. Tanker 23 was added to the 2nd Alarm response and aided responding units from Strinestown (Station 26). Engine 23 laid 1500 feet of supply line back the private lane. Tanker 23 set-up as supply engine, drafting from a portable pond and supplying Engine 23. A 1st floor search and interior attack were initiated, but short lived as the well advanced fire consumed the house forcing Firefighters to retreated and assume a defensive position. Multiple area Companies filled out the 2 Alarm blaze. Additional Station 23 crewmembers staffed Rescue 23 in-house in case of additional calls, and were joined by Engine 18-2 (Jacobus) as fill-in. The cause of the fire is undetermined at present.

 

 

Mar 24, 2007 — By 9 p.m., the small house at the end of a long driveway off Locust Point Road in Conewago Township was little more than a shell. Clouds of smoke still billowed from a cavernous hole in the roof.

Ninety minutes earlier, the fire had been visible from Interstate 83 as a huge column of orange-tinged smoke. In fact, a motorist on 83 first called in the fire at about 7:30 p.m., according to Steve Tawney, chief of Strinestown Community Fire Company.

Tawney was watching from a van as firefighters bustled around the house, looking for remaining hot spots.

They were still conducting a search, Tawney said, going through the house to make sure nobody was inside. They had already run a check on the license plate of a vehicle parked at the home, and looked in at the homeowner's workplace in York. No luck.

Tawney said that the house had a second-story addition that had already collapsed inside.

As of Friday night, it was still far too early to make any determination as to how the fire started, he said.

One of the big logistical problems in putting out the fire was getting water to the site, Tawney said.

On Locust Point Road, six tankers kept the hoses supplied.

In addition to Strinestown, firefighters were present from Dover and Manchester boroughs, and from Fairview, Newberry, Dover and Manchester townships, Tawney said.

Todd Howdyshell, a neighbor, stood to one side and watched with his 11-year-old daughter, Destiny.

Howdyshell wasn't sure of the names of the people who lived there. They hadn't been there long, he said. They seemed like nice people though, he said.

Howdyshell said that firefighters had the same problem with access to water in November, when they had to deal with a chimney fire at his home.

“It's nice to have a little place that's secluded and off the main road,” he said. “But when you have something like this, it can be a real hindrance.”