Recycling Trailers Burn at Landfill in London Grove, Just After Oxford-area House Fire
 
September 18, 2021
 

At 345am this morning, the West Grove Fire Company and neighboring companies were dispatched for a possible barn fire in the area of Newport Gap Pike near Mosquito Lane in London Grove Township. Passing motorists on Route 41 called in the fire, but had a hard time identifying what was burning.

WGFC units were still on the scene of a two-alarm house fire in West Nottingham Township assisting the Union Fire Company of Oxford, and some WGFC personnel had just returned to the station from that call which was dispatched around 2am.

Responding immediately was Tanker 22 which was in quarters. The Tanker arrived at Route 41 and Mosquito Lane and reported a fire of undetermined nature, but on the SECCRA landfill property. Working with the crew from Ladder 22, the Tanker found access off of Mosquito Lane and arrived to report three large trash trailers, two of which appeared to be well involved in fire. Engine 23-2 arrived as the first due Engine and came in the drive and began to deploy attack lines, supplied by Tanker 22.

Units from area fire companies including Po-Mar-Lin, Kennett, Cochranville, Avondale and Longwood made the response. Also responding was Tanker 45 from Kinzer, Lancaster County, which had been standing by in Oxford for the first fire. WGFC Rescue 22 and Engine 22-3 and Engine 22-1 also responded, along with Ambulances from West Grove and Avondale.

Ladder 22 raised its aerial ladder and began to flow water above the two burning trailers, which were filled with paper, cardboard and plastic recycling materials -- each trailer was approximately 50 feet long and eight feet high. Water to the aerial was supplied from Avondale's engine, supplied by Tanker 22 and Tanker 45. Other Tankers supplied additional water.

Once the original fire had been knocked down, which fully destroyed one trailer and did significant damage to the second, the SECCRA team was able to drag the three trailers apart from each other. A large track hoe was then used to pull the burning materials out of each trailer so they could be spread out and the fire could be fully extinguished. Eventually, the large machine pulled both burning trailers onto their sides, allowing more complete access to all burning materials.

Crews were on the scene approximately three hours. There were no injuries.

Oxford Fire

A 2am dispatch awoke WGFC firefighters, with a call for Tanker 22 to assist 21 as part of the Tanker Task Force. The Union Fire Company was battling a house fire in an area without fire hydrants. WGFC units Tanker 22 and Engine 22-1 were on the call, along with units from two counties and two different states. West Grove's Engine left the scene of the house fire to respond to the fire in London Grove just after 345 am. For more complete coverage of this call, see the Union Fire Company's Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/oxfordfire21 .

 
Units: Tanker 22, Ladder 22, Rescue 22, Engine 22-1, Engine 22-3, Ambulance
 
Mutual Aid: Units from Longwood, Po-Mar-Lin, Kinzer (Lancaster), Cochranville, Avondale and Kennett Fire Companies.