Engine 22 was dispatched to relocate to Company 21's station while Company 21 was on the scene of a fire call in Upper Paxton Township. Engine 22 responded and stood by at Station 21 until released by command. (08:47-12:40) Tanker 22 was dispatched at 8:59 a.m., and responded to the scene, where several loads of water were delivered to porta tanks, until released by command. The tanker returned available at 12:56 p.m. - - At 8:30 a.m. on December 29, 1989, an Upper Paxton Township home, a two-story house situated at the end of a long lane along West Matterstown Road near Klinger Road, had a fire that started in the basement, apparently caused by a wood-burning stove. Firefighters laid 1,500 feet of 5-inch diameter hose from a portable pond set up on West Matterstown Road to the fire. Tanker trucks shuttled water from a dam about a mile away. The fire was brought under control in 1? hours. Equipment remained on the scene for nearly eight hours to douse hot spots. Millersburg, Halifax, Berrysburg, Elizabethville, and Lykens firefighters responded. Millersburg Fire Chief, Robert Lehman Sr, said it was Millersburg Fire Company's first attempt with large diameter hose.
1990
Tractor Trailer Fire, 2390 Powells Valley (Box 19-11)
Tanker 22 was dispatched at 6:41 a.m. to 2390 Powells Valley Road for a fully involved tractor trailer fire endangering a structure. The tanker was canceled prior to response at 6:44 a.m. when other tankers responded. The tanker was re-dispatched in place of other tankers at 6:50 a.m., but once again was canceled prior to response at 6:51 a.m. when Tanker 21 responded.
Company 22 was dispatched for a reported smoke alarm sounding at 643 Main Street. Engine and Truck 22 arrived on scene and found an empty first floor apartment with a malfunctioning smoke alarm. The incident was reported by the next door neighbor. Chief 22 notified the property owner of the defective smoke alarm and the company was placed in service.
Company 22 was requested to assist EMS with a call at 302 Main Street. Medic 6 was coming from outside of town and requested Company 22 to respond to the scene. Truck 22 responded with a crew of seven, and Chief's 22 and 22-1 responded POV. Upon arrival, EMS was found to be with the patient. The truck crew assisted with patient care, extrication from the residence, and transfer to the transport unit.
Truck 22 and Tanker 23 dispatched to 118 East Wiconisco Street in Porter Township in the village of Muir for a garage fire. Truck 22 responded with 6 and Engine 22 added on with 4 and Utility 22 with 1. Tanker 23 responded with 2. On arrival, command assigned the Truck side A and they went to work. The Engine and Utility staged behind Rescue 647 and sent manpower forward to a 1 1/2 story 15 and 15 wood frame garage with heavy smoke pushing from the front and fire venting to the rear. Crews performed ventilation and assisted with suppression and were assisted by Truck 58-25 on their arrival. Crews worked with Schuylkill 650, 647, and 810 and achieved a knockdown, and then went into salvage and overhaul mode. Crews continued until released by Command 650.
A fire caused by a defective chimney in the boiler room at Schaffer?s Ford Garage, set the roof on fire. The Millersburg Fire Company was called to the scene and extinguished the fire. Loss was $300.00 to $400.00.
The burning steamer Caroline went over the Horseshoe Falls on the night of December 29, 1837, during what is known as the Caroline Affair - a series of events that began in 1837. A group of Canadians seeking a more democratic Canada took refuge on Navy Island in the Niagara River after a failed rebellion in what is now Ontario. American sympathizers supplied them with money, provisions, and arms via the steamboat SS Caroline. On the night of December 29th, the Royal Navy crossed the international boundary and seized the Caroline, towed her into the current, set her afire, and cast her adrift over Niagara Falls. (Popular rumors of people onboard the ship as it went over the falls are false.)
1855
Oregon State Capitol Building Fire - Salem, OR
1876
Ashtabula Creek Bridge Rail Disaster - Ashtabula, OH
On December 29, 1876, the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway train from Chicago to New York City was traveling through Ohio in a blinding snowstorm. The train was made up of two locomotives and eleven coach cars. At 7:30 p.m. the train approached the bridge over Ashtabula Creek, near Ashtabula. The train proceeded slowly crossing the 152-foot iron trestle bridge. Just after the first locomotive made it to the other side, the bridge collapsed under the weight of the train. The other locomotive and coach cars uncoupled and plunged down the deep ravine into the creek below, causing several explosions and a large fire. Of the 80 people who were killed, 19 bodies were burned beyond recognition. Another 68 passengers were severely injured, but 52 others managed to walk away with minor or no injuries.
The night of December 29th and 30th, 1940, was one of the most destructive air raids of the London Blitz, destroying many Livery Halls and gutting the medieval Great Hall of the City's Guildhall. This night was quickly dubbed The Second Great Fire of London and destroyed an area arguably greater than that of the Great Fire of London of 1666. Some 1500 fires were started, including three major conflagrations. Whereas in 1666 the devastation was overwhelmingly within the City proper, in 1940, it extended far beyond. The largest continuous area of Blitz destruction anywhere in Britain occurred that night, stretching down from Islington to the very edge of St Paul's Churchyard. St Paul's Cathedral itself was only saved by the dedication of its volunteer firewatchers and by the London firemen who fought to keep the flames from spreading to its roof.
The Hotel Roosevelt fire, on December 29, 1963, was the worst fire Jacksonville, Florida had seen since the Great Fire of 1901, and it contributed to the worst one-day death toll in the city's history. Twenty-two people died, mostly from carbon monoxide poisoning. The Hotel Roosevelt was a luxury hotels in the city's downtown, with many restaurants and businesses located on its ground floor, including a ballroom and a barber shop. The fire started from faulty wires in the ceiling of the ballroom around 7:30 a.m., and smoke traveled throughout the 13-story building. People climbed out of the building on bed sheets that were tied together and Navy helecopters were used to rescue others. The fire was extinguished by 9:30 a.m., and it was estimated that nearly 475 people were saved from the burning building. After a day of recovering the dead, firefighters found 21 residents dead in their beds from smoke inhalation. In addition, assistant chief J.R. Romedy collapsed of a heart attack during the initial rescue efforts, and died at the scene.
1991
Colonial Penn Motel Fire - East Hanover Twp, Dauphin Co, PA
A tenant's room at the rear of the Colonial Penn Motel's office along Route 22 in East Hanover Township, Dauphin County caught fire at 11:02 a.m. The fire started in an electric teapot and spread to the rug and walls. Firefighters from Grantville, Hershey, and Union Deposit quickly stopped the blaze and left the scene by 12:10 p.m. The tenants were not at home during the fire and no one was injured, but the fire caused about $10,000 damage.
1991
Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church Fire - Schuylkill Haven, PA
The Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church, on Dock Street in Schuylkill Haven burned on December 29, 1991. More than 100 firefighters from 22 area companies fought the blaze. Flames were shooting from the altar area at the rear of the church when firefighters arrived shortly after 11 p.m. The fire was brought under control about 2 a.m. Ten neighboring homes were evacuated, but none were damaged. Two firefighters were slightly injured when a teetering 50-foot steeple forced a hasty retreat of personnel and equipment at the height of the blaze. Both firefighters were treated and released from Pottsville Hospital. The fire ruined the 86-year-old church and badly damaged a 1957 addition that housed an auditorium and offices. However, church records were spared.
Four people were killed and 18 others were injured as fire spread through the top floor of a small residential hotel early morning December 29, 2002. Firefighters managed to pull dozens out of the blaze to safety. When firefighters reached the Sunset Hotel just before 01:00PST, several people were hanging from the upper floor windows. Firefighters used ladders to reach more than 30 people, including a 2-month-old infant, but others were trapped inside, and much of the third floor was fully involved in flames.
At least four people were killed and five others injured in a fire that broke out in a factory in Turkey's northwestern province of Bursa on December 29, 2005.
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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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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.
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