Carroll Township, Pa. Firefighter Hospitalized by Falling Roof Debris

Feb. 01--A fire at RL Livingston Excavating and Paving, Inc. in Carroll Township sent one employee and one firefighter to area hospitals Thursday evening, according to officials.

Firefighters from three counties were dispatched to the business in the first block of Blair Mountain Road after a report of an explosion and fire shortly after 3 p.m.

William Turner, a public information officer with Carroll Township Regional Emergency Management Agency, said Thursday evening that he spoke to the chief of Franklintown Community Fire Company to get details about the fire.

The fire took place in a workshop area of the business where an employee was working, he said. The work resulted in a fire, and that employee was taken to Hershey Medical Center, Turner said. The extent of the employee's injuries are unknown.

Turner confirmed that roof debris fell on a firefighter, and said that firefighter is doing OK, but under supervision at Holy Spirit Hospital. The firefighter was wearing a helmet.

Fire officials didn't know the cause of the fire Thursday evening, Turner said, nor did they know the extent of the damage.

A fire marshal would be investigating to determine the cause, he said.

Lake Meade Fire Company firefighter Eric Milne said one of the challenges for them was that there were 55-gallon drums of oil and large tanks of propane in and outside the building. The high winds also made it difficult to control the flames.

Getting to the scene was like a parade of fire trucks, Milne said. There were at least 100 firefighters who responded, the Adams County firefighter said.

There was an issue with water supply, as there are no hydrants in the area, Turner said. Tankers brought in water.

The fire was initially called out as two alarm, because many fire companies in the area are volunteer companies, and officials wanted to make sure they had enough manpower, Turner said.

What caused the explosions that police and others heard was unknown Thursday evening.

After the fire was extinguished at about 7 p.m., the York County Hazardous Materials Response Team was there to determine what, if any, chemicals were involved, Turner said.

Carroll Township Police Officer Terry Williams said when he arrived he heard three to four explosions and found the building covered in flames.

At least one home near the business was evacuated, and a nearby apartment building was checked and found to be OK, Williams said.

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