Hey Everyone,
On this date, The Lancaster Bureau Of Fire was dispatched for a reported building on fire in the 300 block of N Queen Street, in the downtown section of Lancaster City. Units arrived with a working fire with heavy smoke pushing out the front of the building. The building was the Zap Company. A company that sold vintage clothes(Brad Myers bought some of his clothes here) just kidding pal. The company also supplied clothes to the show "That 70's show" and also to the movie "Titantic" My company was dispatched on the general alarm with our ladder truck. I arrived on scene about 45 mins into the incident as I waited for my wife to get home to be with our son
This is looking S on Queen Street From Lemon Street. The engine is Lancaster City Reserve Engine 6 laying a supply line to Lafayette Fire Company Truck 6-3 in the front of the building.
This is Truck 6-3 and the other ladder truck is Lancaster City Truck 6-4-2. At the height of the fire, 3 Tower Ladders a 1 straight stick ladder truck were flowing water onto the fire. A total of 7 trucks were on the scene
A FF from Lancaster City flowing a deck gun into the front of the building. At this point, a good friend of mine who is a Lancaster City Police Officer who was working, saw me and told me to "Walk up Walnut Street to where you see Engine 5 in the alleyway and turn left, Trust me" So I did...
And this is what I was greeted with. Now this is only midblock of the building.
This is the back side of the building on Christian Street. The building was a very long and narrow block long. There was not alot of room to get rigs back in here.
Back out on the Queen Street side again. The engine is Lancaster City Engine 3.
Manpower staging by the city command van
Lancaster Battalion Chief 2 at the Command Post
Truck 6-4-2 operating on the Queen Street side
Lancaster City Crews working
One of my favorite shots.
Willow Street Truck 5-12 setting up in a night clubs parking lot. They are about 3-4 buildings N of the fire building
Smoke is getting heavier as is the fire
Strasburg Fire Company Truck 5-10 backing down Christian Street from Lemon Street
The fire has reached the back of the building
Crews on the roof of the exposure building checking that for any extension or failure of the fire wall
Things are starting to get rather ugly back here.
At this point, City Engine 2 which was back here on Christian Street suffered as what can be described as a cathostrophic mechanical failure. Engine 2's muffler intake and air intake took a direct hit from a master stream device which compleatley shut down the engine. The deck gun which is flowing is only being supplied by hydrant pressure and that's it.
Truck 5-10 flowing water into the fire building
Crews operating on the Christian Street Side while waiting for water supply to be reestablished
Crews getting off the roof of the exposure building
Fire showing from the roof again out front
Let's just say this officer did not leave for awhile
And on top of it, it started to snow. In the 21 years I have been in the fire service. I cannot ever a recall a fire of such magnitude in the city. For what they had when they arrived, they did a hell of a job keeping it to the main fire building. The city only had 9 firefighters on duty that night including the shift commander. They had there hands full untill the arrival of the county rigs and also off duty members coming in on the recall. My department cleared around 1230 AM the next morning. City units remained on the scene all night and well into the next day.
That is all. I hope you liked the pics. Thanks for visiting!
