It took less than five minutes for flames to destroy 450 barbecued chickens and severely damage a cookout pavilion -- all at a volunteer firefighter fundraiser.
The pavilion, home to the Taylor Fire Department's semiannual chicken barbecue, caught fire Saturday morning while the chickens were being cooked, costing the department $3,000 to $4,000 in food supplies and thousands of dollars in damage to a structure that has housed the cookouts for more than 20 years.
"It was just shocking. We never thought something like that would happen here," Ladder Capt. John Tigue said.
Now the fire company has decided to add a coin drop fundraiser in December to make up for lost funds, in addition to its Toy Train Show on Dec. 1, he said.
In addition to the money that was lost on food and supplies, the department will need to replace the roof and pay to have the electrical system rewired at the pavilion, Capt. Tigue said.
The fire started when volunteer firefighters loaded whole chickens onto racks and began cooking them shortly after 6 a.m., with occasional flames spurting up from the chicken drippings on the fire.
"All of a sudden, poof. One big fireball popped up," Capt. Tigue said.
In the less than five minutes it took to run back to the firehouse and grab the brush truck, flames were shooting through the ceiling vents and billowing out from under the roof, he said.
No one was injured, but a lot of people were concerned -- and disappointed the dinner had to be canceled and the fundraiser was a loss. The dinner rolls, baked beans and potato salad the department purchased and made were donated or given to people who showed up looking for their chicken dinners.
Capt. Tigue said the firefighters were disappointed the dinner was destroyed, considering all the time and effort the volunteers put into the event.
"It's something you put your heart and soul into," he said. "It's heart-wrenching."
Copyright 2012 - The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
