Tactical Box 27-30

    Thursday May 27, at 23:16 hours, Station 27 was dispatched to the 300 block of Progress Drive, to investigate the report of a possible fire in a junkyard.  As more calls were received, the address was corrected to the 4600 block of Bethlehem Pike.  Deputy 27 (Brennan) and Assistant 27 (Kelly) arrived on the scene and reported a fully involved barn attached to a three bay garage. 

    Deputy 27 established Hilltown command and requested three additional tankers to the scene.  Assistant 27 was the operations officer and instructed Engine 27-1 to go in service with the deck gun and hand lines from the exterior due to the fire conditions.  Tower 27, led by Lieutenant 27 (Louden), arrived shortly after Engine 27-1 and went in service with an elevated master stream.  Rescue 58 was added as the RIT team.

    Battalion 27 (McDonald) was in charge of water supply and had a tanker shuttle established quickly.  The shuttle consisted of Tankers 27, 58 (Trumbauersville), 34 (Chalfont), 23 (Dublin), 61 (Hilltown), Montgomery County Tankers 72 (Tylersport), 76 (Towamencin), and 89 (Harleysville).  The shuttle supplied water to Montgomery County Engine 74-1 (Souderton) and Tanker 75 (Telford), who relayed the water to the scene.  Montgomery County Engine 75-1 was assigned to the fill site behind the Keystone Diner.

    Captain 27 (Rotzell), Lieutenant 27-1 (Garges), and the crews working on the exterior discovered nearly two dozen, 50 pound, oxygen and acetylene cylinders venting due to the heat and flames.  This greatly intensified the fire.  Hilltown Command requested additional units for man power. This request brought Engine 59-1 (Silverdale), Quint 61, Engine 26 (Perkasie), and Rescue 26 to the scene.  Battalion 27-1 (Wagner) was assigned to be the man power officer.  Special Service 86-1, 2, and 3 (North Penn Goodwill) responded providing canteen and shelter services to approximately 40 fire fighters that were on scene. Tanker 63 (Haycock) and Squirt 18 (West End) stood by at Station 27 until 04:42 hours.

   The fire was placed under control at 00:44 hours and was investigated by FM 200 (Rafferty) from the Bucks County Fire Marshals Office.