During the the late evening hours of February 15, 1970, an alarm was sounded for a fire in the 500 Block of Main street in Lykens. Engine 22 responded and took the hydrant at Main and Market Streets. Smoke was found issuing from the center of three connected commercial establishments. The first line directed by Captain 22, Bert Erdman, went through the front door of the Lykens TV Cable Company office to try to reach the seat of the fire. Driven out shortly after entry, other attempts were made through different access points without any luck. Wiconisco Fire Company responded soon after the Lykens crew. Mutual aid from Williamstown and Elizabethville was summoned to help stop the rapidly growing blaze. Flames were soon through the roof and extended east and west from its origin in the basement of the TV Cable Company office. The clothing store of Harry Forman and Son and the restaurant of Billy and Flo Graeff were soon consumed. A fire wall stopped the west progession of the fire at the Tri-Valley TV Store (the old post office). A long night of pouring water onto the blaze followed before it was put out. During the blaze, a ladder kicked out from under two Lykens firemen. They fell and were taken to the Polyclinic Hospital for treatment of their injuries. The Budd Movie Theater across the street was opened and served as an area for firemen to rotate into warmth, as the temperature was in the teens that night. It had been a very cold and snowy winter and snow piles along the side of the streets hampered the firefighters in their battle. A snow pile in front of Chal Welker's South Second Street home had a large hole melted into it from Engine-21's exhaust. You almost could have parked a VW bug in the spot that melted. To supplement the water supply, several pumps were set up at the creeks on each side of town. (After the flood of 1972, Lykens gained most of its new updated water supply system. Prior to then, big fires required pumps at the creeks to supplement the water flow.) The cause of the fire was attributed to a faulty flue at the furnace of the TV Cable office. The following morning, PennDOT sent a road grader, loader, and trucks to cut the ice off main street, which was six to eight inches thick in places.
On Tuesday, February 15, 1977, at approximately 2:50PM, there was a fire call at 300 North Street. The cause was determined to be from a malfunction of the oil burner.
2006
Truck fire under carport, 7857 Route 209 (Box 23-5)
Company 22 was dispatched to Wiconisco Township to a report of a pickup truck on fire under a carport. Engine 22 responded with a crew of six and arrived first on scene to find a fully involved truck, with fire extension into the attached one-story ranch home on side 4. Tanker 22 responded with a crew of two, Truck 22 with a crew of three. Engine 22 took the side 1/4 corner, Engine 23 had side 1/2, and Tanker 24 positioned in front of Engine 22. Truck 22 staged on Route 209 and sent manpower to the roof to vent. The Engine 22 crew pulled 2 inch and 3 inch hand lines and attacked the fire from the outside, while the Engine 23 crew pulled a 1? inch line and went in through the front door. Tanker 24's crew, backed up by Engine 24's crew, pulled a 1? inch line and went to side 3 and attacked the fire from the rear. Knockdown of the bulk of fire occurred in a few minutes. The roof was vented in two places. The carport burned through and collapsed onto the pickup truck. Extensive overhaul was needed, with crews pulling ceilings of the kitchen and living room and exterior walls opened up and checked for extensions on side 4. Rescue 21 and Tanker 21 were also on the scene and assisted with overhaul. PP&L and Penn Dot were requested for assistance. Company 22 cleared the event when placed available by Command 23.
Company 22 was alerted for a report of several feet of water in the basement of 416 Main Street, a result of a broken water line on the second floor. Engine 22 responded with a crew of four, along with a company member's pickup truck carrying portable pumps. The crew pumped out about 1? feet of water from the basement using two portable pumps, one electric and one gas. The engine then went available.
2017
Smoke in the Basement, 517 Pottsville Street (Box 23-1)
Company 22 dispatched class one to assist on the 23-1 box in Wiconisco Township at 317 Pottsville Street for smoke in the basement. Chief 22 responded POV. Truck 22 went enroute with 6 and Engine 22 with 6 and Utility 22 with 2. Chief 23 arrived on scene and assumed command. On the arrival of Engine 23 their crew investigated and determined the problem to be a furnace malfunction. Command held the box to companies 23 and 22 and canceled companies 24 and 21 and 27. After venting the building command released Company 22 and they went available.
Company 22 dispatched class one to 601 Main street at the Israel Building for an automatic fire alarm. Chief 22 went enroute and on arrival met the building manager in the lobby of a 3 story 409 foot by 90 foot apartment building with nothing showing and the building not evacuated. Initial report was that a dryer in the first floor lobby was possibly overloaded and steam from it triggered the alarm system. Engine 22 was requested to hold in quarters, which they did with 3. The dryer had been unplugged and emptied with no fire found. With nothing further found the box was placed available.
2024
Furnace Malfunction, 105 South Yohe street (Box S.C.)
Truck 22 and Rescue 23 dispatched class one to 105 South Yohe street in Porter Township Schuylkill County for a furnace malfunction. Both units were canceled by Schuylkill County before a response.
A 31-year-old Wiconisco driver was driving a Ford Tempo southbound on Carsonville Road on February 15, 2001, when he crossed the center of the road on a curve and struck a Ford F-100 which was traveling northbound. The occupants of the F-100 were not wearing seat belts. The 52-year-old F-100 driver was unhurt, but his 50-year-old passenger was transported to Holy Spirit Hospital where she was treated and released. The Tempo driver was wearing his seatbelt and was unhurt.
A two-vehicle crash occurred at 2:19 p.m. on February 15, 2007, near Millersburg. The driver of a southbound Chevrolet vehicle lost control and struck a Mercury vehicle. The driver of the Chevrolet was transported to Sunbury Community Hospital. The driver and passenger of the Mercury were not injured.
The section of calls we've responded to has been compiled from fire company records, newspapers, and other sources. Listings for years prior to 1981 might be incomplete.
2.
The listing of local incidents is for incidents that happened around our local area, including some from Lykens for which the fire company was not dispatched. It is certainly not a complete listing, and is not intended to be. It is included here for your entertainment. Incidents listed here have been gathered from public sources.
3.
The listing of other noteworthy incidents includes incidents from anywhere outside our local area (for which we were not dispatched). Also included in this section are historical events from our fire company, Lykens, or around the world. It is certainly not a complete listing, and is not intended to be. It is included here for your entertainment. Incidents and events listed here have been gathered from public sources.
4.
These lists can be filtered. Use the control section above to activate or de-activate filtering. Filtering will not affect the list of incidents we've responded to. But, it will be applied to both the other lists.
5.
The camera icon indicates that the detail page of the particular incident contains at least one picture.
