June 30--A three-alarm fire in the 700 block of West Princess Street in York Saturday afternoon left nearly 20 people displaced and challenged firefighters in the summer heat.
York Fire/Rescue Services Acting Chief David Michaels said they were dispatched to the area just before 3:50 p.m. for a structure fire and found heavy smoke coming from 10 row homes.
It took some time for firefighters to determine where the fire was located, but they soon found it contained to three homes -- 726, 728, and 730, with water and smoke -- to a fourth home.
Firefighters quickly upgraded the fire to a third alarm because of all the homes potentially involved and the high temperature, Michaels said.
The fire left damage to mainly the second and third floors of the three homes, he added, and would leave eight adults and 10 children receiving assistance from the Red Cross for displacement.
A state fire marshal was called Saturday to investigate the cause.
Many firefighters rotated in and out of the homes, many stopping afterward to remove their heavy gear and drink water, stand in front of a fan or sit exhausted on the ground.
"We do set up a rehab right away," Michaels said. "The main thing you want to do is get their gear off, get them cooled off and get some fluids in them."
York City Police helped pass out ice pops to firefighters who held the frozen treat against their heads to feel the chill before eating them.
Just before the scene was cleared, a volunteer firefighter with York Fire/Rescue Services collapsed in the street near a fire truck. Michaels said they believed it was heat related.
EMTs rushed to get the firefighter on a stretcher, cover him with wet towels and put him in an ambulance.
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Copyright 2013 - York Daily Record, Pa.
