Firefighters from three states assisted West Grove Fire Company on a working house fire in Franklin Township on Tuesday evening. The fire kept WGFC firefighters and area fire companies busy for hours, and other departments on standby handled several other emergencies during this same incident.

Just before 7:30 pm, the Chester County 911 Center received calls regarding a house on fire on rural Pheasant Hill Lane off of Old Schoolhouse Road. WGFC and area mutual aid companies were dispatched, and based on reports to the 911 Center, responding WGFC units requested additional water tankers to scene. A large group of WGFC firefighters and EMTs were on station in West Grove for a company meeting and were able to quickly respond apparatus to this call. The WGFC response included Engine 22-1, Ladder 22, Tanker 22, Rescue 22, Utility 22-1, Utility 22-3, ambulances and fire police.

Units responding south from West Grove could see a large plume of smoke and visible fire as they entered Franklin Township. Deputy 22 arrived on location to report a three story home with heavy fire showing on the side and rear of the home. Engine 22-1 arrived as the first due engine and laid a five-inch supply line down most of the 1200 foot driveway and set up at the front of the home. Ladder 22 also arrived and crews began to ladder the building and initiate primary searches of all three floors. Rescue 22 arrived as the second due engine and picked up the supply line and set up a water supply with Engine 23-2 from Avondale, with arriving Tanker 22 and 23 providing initial water supply.

Crews from multiple stations worked together on the scene, fighting a large volume of fire on the exterior of the house along with a mostly collapsed outbuilding that was adjacent or attached to the homes deck. Firefighters also worked to contain fire that spread from the outside rear deck into ground floor rooms, with extension to the second and third floors in the back of the home. In all, four handlines were deployed from Engine 22-1, supplied by tankers from out on Old Schoolhouse Road. A tanker fill site was established at the Avon Grove Middle School to refill tankers. Crews worked to open up walls and ventilate the roof, knocking down visible fire and assuring no further fire spread.

Crews from nearly ten different fire companies from New Castle County, Delaware; Lancaster County, PA; Cecil County, MD; and across southern Chester County assisted WGFC on the scene. EMS crews worked to check on the welfare of firefighters, and fire police had Old Schoolhouse Road and Pheasant Hill Roads closed.

Area companies were largely released from the scene about 11pm, with WGFC units returning to station for a significant clean up of hose and equipment, being fully back in service around 1:15am. Approximately 1000 feet of attack line and nearly 1300 feet of supply hose was utilized at this incident. Fortunately there were no injuries at this house fire, which is being investigated by the Chester County Fire Marshal.

During the incident, standby companies handled several other emergency incidents, including a call for a possible electrical fire on Clay Creek Road in London Grove Township and an accident with reported entrapment on Oxford Road in New London Township, and EMS crews handled several ambulance runs during the same time period.

WGFC thanks a large number of fire departments that provided standby coverage for WGFC and area companies, handling multiple additional emergency dispatches. WGFC would also like to thank the Wawa store in Avondale for donating coffee at midnight for crews as they worked at Station 22 to get various units cleaned up and back in service.