Brush Pile and Woods Fire - London Grove Township
 
March 13, 2021
 

At 6:30pm Friday evening, firefighters from West Grove Fire Company were dispatched to investigate a fire near the intersection of Schoolhouse Road and Bramble Lane. Reports indicated something burning and embers were coming down into woods east of the property and several trees were on fire.

WGFC Engines 22-1 and 22-3 responded, along with Brush 22 and Tanker 22. Chief 22 arrived to report a "controlled burn" of a large pile of trees and debris burning behind a barn that now had extension into the woods, and established Command. He directed Engine 22-1 to come back to the barn, where crews put two 1-3/4" handlines into service. Brush 22 was directed to enter Bramble Lane and investigate fire in the woods.

Engine 22-3 was ordered to also come down the long driveway and provide water and crew support to Engine 1. After delivering it's 1000 gallons of water to replenish Engine 1, Engine 3 moved to the hydrant at McKean Circle (Medford Farms) and Schoolhouse Road to set the location up as a site to fill fire apparatus. Tanker 22 arrived and provided a larger water supply for Engine 1's crew.

Meanwhile, the crew from Brush 22 stretched it's long brush firefighting line into the woods and began to extinguish several burning trees and brush areas that had caught on fire from embers that had blown downhill from the original debris pile fire. One tree was ultimately cut down by WGFC crews to extinguish a fire at the top. Crews in the woods used 500 gallons of water to address burning in that area. Crews behind the barn used approximately 5,500 gallons on the brush pile.

The Friday evening fire took place during a time period when the National Weather Service had issued a wildfire warning, due to low humidity and windy conditions. That warning period has been extended to include Saturday through 7pm.

WGFC volunteers were on scene for approximately 2.5 hours before returning to station to clean hose and get trucks back in service. Ambulance crews handled several emergencies during the fire incident. WGFC Fire Police supported the incident on Schoolhouse Road and Bramble Lane. No injuries were reported.

 
Units: Engine 22-1, Engine 22-3, Brush 22, Tanker 22, Fire Police