On a very cold Saturday evening, West Grove firefighters were called to a home along Route 896 near the New London Fire Station for a chimney fire. Dispatchers at the 911 Center in West Chester reported sparks coming from the top of the chimney and dispatched WGFC. The response included Rescue 22, Ladder 22, Engine 22-1, Tanker 22, WGFC EMS with Ambulances and WGFC Fire Police.

Rescue 22 arrived quickly from just down the street, reporting near normal conditions observed. The crew discovered a lot of material around the outside of the house that had burned and left the chimney. Crews began removing the logs and burning materials from the fireplace. Meanwhile, crews from Ladder 22 and Engine 22-1 arrived to assist.

Due to the location of the house in the yard, the 105' aerial of Ladder 22 could not be used, so crews utilized a 35' ground ladder to reach the top of the chimney. A WGFC firefighter climbed up to remove the chimney cap and perform a visual inspection of the chimney pipe. The 35' ladder is the longest in the complement of 200+ feet of ground ladders carried on Ladder 22.

The WGFC Fire Police maintained a single lane of traffic along Route 896 where apparatus were parked, with the call between the busy intersections of Oxford and Avondale-New London Roads on 896. Crews were on scene for about an hour.