Careless Smoking is believed to be the cause of a fire on June 30, 1975, that claimed the lives of a man and a woman. Pronounced dead at the scene of the fire at their residence were Keith Witmer, 31, and Mary Unger Kadenok, 25, both of 429 North Street, according to Lykens Fire Chief Donald Pell, who said the two died from burns and smoke inhalation. Pell said the bodies were found in the 2? story frame house by firemen who responded to the 2:30 a.m. alarm. After investigation, Pell said State Police Fire Marshall Trooper Thomas Minnich said the blaze was possibly caused by a lighted cigarette left on the couch. Firefighting efforts were hampered by intense heat and smoke and firemen from Lykens and Wiconisco were at the scene until 4am, Pell said. The fire was confined to the first floor, he said.
Engine 22 was requested to relocate to Elizabethville Station 21 while Company 21 was out on a fire call. Engine 22 responded and remained at Station 21 without incident until released by Command.
Companies 22 and 23 were dispatched for an automatic fire alarm at the Miner's Bank of Lykens. Chief 22 responded to the scene, and upon his arrival, determined that it was a false trip and placed the box available.
2001
Accident w/inj, Main & Pine Sts (Box 22-1)
2009
Automatic Fire Alarm, Alfa Laval Company (Box 22-2)
Engines 22 and 23 were dispatched to the Alfa Laval Plant on Hanna Street for an automatic fire alarm. Engine 23 responded and arrived on side A, and Chief 22-2 responded to the scene POV. On his arrival, he canceled Engine 22 just as they were responding and held the box to Engine 23. Plant employees had propped open a door and welding smoke traveled into the office hallway, setting off the alarm. After conferring with ADT (the alarm company), the alarm system was taken out of service until they could send a representative to the plant to repair it, and command placed the box available.
Company 22 dispatched class one to the Rattling Creek Apartments at 15 South Second Street in Lykens Boro for a medical assist. Utility 22 responded with 4 and Truck 22 with 7 and Chief 22 and several other members POV. On arrival the crew called a signal 12 as EMS was arriving on scene. Command placed the Company available.
2020
Pedestrian Struck, Main and Market Streets (Box 22-1)
Company 22 dispatched class one to Main and Market Streets on the square in Lykens for a pedestrian struck. Utility 22 responded with 1 and 5 members responded POV to the scene. On arrival of the utility the crew found a patient that was riding a bicycle that was struck. PSP was all ready on scene. Medic 6 arrived on scene. Rescue 23 was added to the call and they assisted with traffic control at Main and Arch Streets during the event. Crew assisted EMS with transferring the patient to their unit and then went available.
Company 22 dispatched class one to 801 Market Street in Lykens for the medical assist. Chief 22 responded POV and Engine 22 went enroute with 4. On arrival the crew assisted Medic 6 with transferring a patient to their unit for a trip to a hospital and then went available.
Company 22 dispatched class one to 709 Market Street in Lykens for an automatic fire alarm. Engine 22 responded with 4 and was advised that the occupant of the residence had called in to report a false trip. Engine 22 had all ready arrived on scene and confirmed with the occupants of the residence that it was a false call and went available.
A motorcycle accident on June 30, 1974, killed a twenty-seven year old Lykens man. Gary Reiner was riding north along Route 707 (Arch Street) with a group of cyclists. The accident occurred around 4:45 p.m., when Reiner lost control of his motorcycle on a bridge crossing the Wiconisco Creek and was thrown into a utility pole. He was pronounced dead at the scene by Dauphin County Deputy Coroner Dale Hoover.
On Saturday, June 30, 1900, there were four ships docked at the North German Lloyd piers on the Hudson River in Hoboken, New Jersey: The Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse - the largest and fastest ship in the world at that time - moored on the south side of Pier 1, the new steamer Main - moored on the north side of Pier 1, the steamer Saale - moored on the south side of Pier 2, and the steamer Bremen - moored on the north side of Pier 2. Shortly before 4 p.m., a watchman discovered fire on Pier 3. Crowded with merchandise of every description, the dock buildings, light wooden structures, burnt like tinder. Barrels of oil and spirits exploded and spread the fire to the ships. Everything at the piers was ablaze in the span of ten to twenty minutes. Many tugboats were came to rescue the great ships. The first of the ships to catch fire, the Saale, had started to drift away from the pier. The tugboats and other harbor boats rescued some of her crew who were seen hanging over the side of the ship or on the rudder. Some, who had grown exhausted, slipped away and drowned. Next, the Bremen caught fire, suffering a similar fate as that of the Saale, drifting slowly and ablaze. Then the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse was next. It was decided that she should be rescued first, for her value as the flagship of the North German Lloyd Line, and because there were weekend tourists aboard, who had come to tour the ship. She started to be pulled backwards at about 4:10 p.m. Her bow had caught fire from a burning coal barge that was lashed to her as she was pulled into the middle of the Hudson River and there was also a small fire on her stern. Several tugboats were working with their fire hoses to put the fires out. The ships' officers and men had also quickly put out many smaller fires with their uniforms and by other means. Due to the actions of her disciplined crew and of the tugboats, no lives were lost on the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse. Her damage was minimal by comparison with the other ships. Over 200 feet of paint on the starboard side of her hull had been burned away, mostly from her bow area. The glass in many portholes had burst from the heat, and some items made of wood, such as deck planking and lifeboats, had been burned. The ship was towed upstream to about 46th street off of Manhattan and anchored. The Saale and Bremen were drifting and blazing uncontrollably. Many tug boats played their hoses upon the fire; some catching on fire briefly themselves. Many of the crew of both ships swamped the tugboats as they tried to escape. The tug Nettie Tice took off 104 people from the Bremen alone. Meanwhile, the Main, which was moored the farthest north, was unable to be freed from her pier. The tugs worked frantically but to no avail. Some forty-four of her crew died, unable to escape her burning hull. She eventually drifted free after her mooring lines burned. Many people could be seen through the portholes of the ships. In some cases, it took three hours for those trapped to die. There were so many watercrafts of various types on the river that 27 of them also caught fire as result of the floating and flaming wreckage. New York City even suffered some fire damage when the Bremen had drifted to the other side of the Hudson River and had started a small fire at Pier 18. The Thingvalla Line, which bordered the North German Lloyd piers on the north, also lost a pier to the blaze. The large Campbell's Stores and the Hoboken Warehouse, which was located on the North German Lloyd property area, were burned down. Some of the ships continued to burn for a few days or were so hot that they could not be boarded. The Main and Bremen had foundered on the Wheehawken Flats, where they were towed. They were half sunk, burned out, and keeled-over partially on their sides. At 11:00 p.m. that night, an amazing discovery was made when it was found that 15 crewmen were still alive in the Hull of the Main. Even with her hull plates glowing from the heat, a tug captain noticed a small oil lamp shining from the side of the ship. Upon investigating the tug's crew heard knocking from within, and the plates were soon cut into to reveal the men. They had been hiding in an empty coalbunker and had been trapped for eight hours. The Hoboken fire department had fought hard to save the piers. One fire wagon virtually disintegrated after it arrived at the scene and was immediately engulfed by flames. The fire was the largest fire loss in the United States in the year 1900. Insurance estimates of the damage was calculated at $4,627,000. Four ocean liners burned, three were seriously damaged, 27 barges, workboats, and harbor craft were lost. Warehouses, railroad cars, the three North German Lloyd piers, and one pier of the Thingvalla Line were totally lost. 173 people died on the piers. The total number of dead cannot be determined, but it is estimated that from 326 to 400 people died as a result of the fire.
1974
Gulliver's Discotheque Fire - Port Chester, NY
1999
Sealand Youth Training Center Fire - Hwaseong, South Korea
2000
Fireworks Factory Fire - Jiangmen, Guangdong, China
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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.
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