On a hot summer afternoon, with temperatures at 92 degrees, fire companies from across southern Chester County responded to a mushroom house fire in New London Township. The West Grove Fire Company was dispatched for a building fire at 1:08pm on West Avondale Road near the intersection with State Road. Initial reports indicated a mushroom house fire, with workers evacuating. Units from Avondale 23, Union of Oxford 21, and Cochranville 27 were also dispatched to assist.

The first arriving WGFC officer reported smoke showing and requested a "working fire dispatch" which brings additional resources. Added to the call were units from other area fire companies, along with advanced life support with Medic 94.

Engine 22-2 from the New London Station was the first due Engine, dropping a 5" supply line at the hydrant located at the State Road intersection approximately 500 feet from the fire scene. The Engine laid the supply line to the scene and crews quickly deployed an 1-3/4" attack line to the mushroom house where fire was venting from the roof along the ridge line. Tanker 22 also quickly arrived, providing a 3500 gallon supply of water until the supply from the fire hydrant was established. Engine 21-2 from Oxford arrived as the second due Engine, stopping at the hydrant to establish a water supply for the fire scene, supplying WGFC's 22-2.

Ladder 22 arrived and quickly extended its aerial ladder to the roof, where crews began opening up the metal roof, venting the fire, and exposing burning rafters and insulation underneath. Meanwhile crews from West Grove and Oxford advanced a line into the interior to knock down the fire from inside under the roof. WGFC Engine 22-3 and Avondale Engine 23-2 arrived, with crews working together to ladder the building on three sides, and advance a second 1-3/4" attack line from 22-2 to the rear of the structure.

Crews with Rescue 27, Engine 27-2, Tanker 27 and Tanker 21 all arrived to provide additional staffing and assistance, as hot weather required crews to be rotated in and out of service so they could go to rehab, have vitals checked, and get needed hydration. High temperatures meant a few firefighters sat inside air conditioned apparatus to get a cooling off period.

The fire in the roof was knocked down fairly quickly, and crews concentrated on pulling back large sheets of metal roof material to open up the area to check for fire extension. Multiple WGFC Ambulances were on scene, with EMS crews checking firefighters for heat-related concerns and making sure all crews were hydrated.

Crews also worked to ultimately break down the 5" supply line and repack all the hose onto Engine 22-2. Crews operated on the scene for approximately two hours. WGFC fire police assisted with closing W. Avondale Road during the incident.

Meanwhile, fire engines from Po-Mar-Lin (Unionville 36) and Modena 37 were on standby at WGFC for the call. Both services ran auto accident calls to cover WGFC during the mushroom house fire incident. One accident was dispatched along Route 796 in Penn Township, and a second accident was dispatched near the Giant Food Store in Jennersville. We thank these crews for standing by for WGFC.

Despite the hot temperatures and conditions, there were no injuries. After leaving the scene, WGFC crews worked another hour to wash nearly 500 feet of hose, and repack the attack lines on Engine 2 to get the truck back in service.