FPS staff report
April 21, 2009
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| Firefighters used ladders and saws to gain access to the inside of a roof at a New Harrisburg home fire Friday afternoon. Almost immediately after a hole was cut in the roof, flames shot out and the firefighters had to evacuate the roof area. |
The word “stubborn” doesn’t normally apply to fires, but the word could accurately be used to describe a structure fire in New Harrisburg last Friday.
Carrollton Village Fire Chief Tom Mesler, who was the incident commander for the fire at 2213 Waynesburg Rd., Carrollton, said a double roof and log frame construction on the home posed problems for firefighters. In fact, they were on the scene for six hours and were called back three times the next day for rekindles.
“The home had the original steel roof and then a second roof of 2x6’s, sheeting board and shingles was later installed that made it difficult to extinguish the fire,” he said. “The frame of the home was log, which also made it difficult to put the fire out without demolishing the entire home. The fire went up the walls and got in between the two roofs which made it very difficult to get to it.”
Firefighters eventually called Harrison Twp. trustees, who provided a backhoe to remove the outer roof and allow access to the fire.
Mesler said the homeowner, Donald Mihal, was not at home when the fire broke out. When firefighters arrived, the fire was contained in the front (living room) area of the home and firefighters attempted to save as much of the home as possible. “There was a lot of personal items in the basement and kitchen area we found when we entered the home and we wanted to save as many of them as we could for the homeowner,” Mesler said.
As the attempt to extinguish the fire became more difficult and assistance was needed to transport water, the village called for assistance from Carroll County, Waynesburg, Brown Twp. and Magnolia fire departments as well as a second call for additional village firefighters. In all, Mesler said 53 firefighters were on the scene and used 51,000 gallons of water, which was transported from a dry hydrant in the Newell pond, just a couple miles from the fire scene. “We called Brown Twp. for a tanker to haul water and later called Magnolia because we needed their air truck to fill Scott Air Packs,” he explained.
Firefighters left the scene at 10:40 p.m., only to called back at 5 a.m. for a rekindle in the middle of the house. They were on the scene for one and one half hours. They returned for a second rekindle under the bathroom floor at 9:20 a.m. and a third rekindle in the west wall at 3:16 p.m.
Mesler said the home was deemed a total loss, but is covered by insurance.
Mesler expressed appreciation the cooperation between departments and the community. “Fox Twp. brought a truck and crew to our station to cover our territory while we were at the New Harrisburg fire,” he said. “We had a lot of firefighters out there and a couple of the wives called Crossroads to get party pizzas. We ended up getting five pizzas and when we went to pay the bill, they told us there was no charge. We really appreciate their generosity.”
Five village firefighters were undoubtedly tired after a long day of firefighting. The village provided a tanker and five men (working two shifts) to haul water for a fire at Liberty Tire, located at 14864 Lincoln St. (US 30) outside of Minerva beginning at 7:15 a.m. that morning. Eleven fire departments battled the fire, which was a large pile of materials from shredded tires, for nine hours. Village firefighters who provided a water shuttle truck, returned to Carrollton about a hour before being toned for the New Harrisburg structure fire. |
