At 7:37am on Saturday morning, January 11, pagers for multiple local fire companies sounded the alarm -- a house was reportedly on fire in East Nottingham Township.

The home, located along Oxford Road about halfway between New London and Oxford, was seen by passers-by with smoke coming from the ground floor windows. The emergency was located in the fire district of the Union Fire Company No. 1 of Oxford, with additional companies from West Grove, Cochranville, Rising Sun, and Quarryville dispatched.

An Union Fire Company fire officer arrived on scene first, reporting heavy fire from the rear corner of the house, with heavy smoke from all sides. He instructed the Chester County 911 Center to increase the dispatch to a "working fire dispatch," bringing additional units to the scene. The home is a three story structure, attached to a smaller home on the west side. Oxford Engine 21-1 arrived on scene and was instructed to pull past to leave room for Ladder 21, and to stretch a 200 foot attack line. That crew began to attack the fire while other units arrived and set up.

Chief 21 arrived on scene, assuming Command, instructing West Grove's first in engine to lay a water supply line from the hydrant at Mount Hope and Oxford Roads to the fire scene. Engine 22-2 dropped 1250 foot of five inch supply line to the scene, and provided water to Engine 21-1 to supply the operation. Ladder 21 arrived and its crews began laddering all sides of the building.

Engine 22-1 arrived and dropped its crew at the fire scene and then relocated to the hydrant to set up the supply line for the operation. Additional arriving Engines stretched attack lines, with the fire being fought from the rear exterior, on the first floor, and on the second floor as well. The older home featured heavy timber walls, multiple layers of external materials, and the fire had spread up inside walls and ceilings. Crews from Ladder 21 moved to the roof, making trench cuts in two places to vent smoke and heat from the attic area.

Extensive work was required on the outside of the home to open up walls and extinguish pockets of fire. Interior crews also did significant overhaul work on both the first and second floors to clear debris and put out any remaining fire. Crews remained on scene working the scene for several hours. Crews from the WGFC and Unon Fire Company No. 1 Fire Police handled the closures of various roads at the fire scene, and ambulance units from both companies handled rehab and stood by for possible injuries.

Crews spent nearly an hour picking up attack lines and repacking the supply hose, with units clearing the scene finally after 11:30am. There were no injuries.