Washington Hook & Ladder Co. in Pennsylvania Destroyed by Fire on Parade Day

Aug. 25--MAHANOY CITY -- Just hours before firefighters from throughout northeast Pennsylvania were set to arrive for a major celebration in the borough Saturday, flames destroyed the aerial truck parked inside Washington Hook and Ladder Company No. 1 and caused heavy damage to the station.

"It started in the cab of the truck," state police Fire Marshal Trooper John F. Burns of the Frackville station said at the scene about noon.

He was referring to the company's 1993 Simon Duplex aerial truck which the company at 35 E. Mahanoy St. bought in 2011 for $249,500.

"It will be in the high hundreds of thousands of dollars to replace it," borough fire Chief Randy Kalce said.

Burns did not have a cause of the fire Saturday and would not speculate on it. He put a strip of yellow police tape around the vehicle before he left the scene at 12:30 p.m.

Members of the fire company boarded up the burned out garage doors Saturday night.

At 4:38 a.m. Saturday, there was a report of smoke at the station, according to a supervisor at Schuylkill County Communications Center, Pottsville.

Among the first on scene was borough police Lt. John Kaczmarczyk, a longtime member of the fire company. He saw heavy flames inside the engine room.

The situation was upgraded to a working structure fire at 4:41 a.m., according to the communications supervisor.

Firefighters from Mahanoy City and surrounding communities responded with the first units encountering heavy fire roaring out of the bay doors.

Anthony Blackwell, Mahanoy City Fire Department safety officer and public relations officer, said two firefighters were injured. One suffered smoke inhalation. The other suffered bruising. Both were treated at the scene and did not require transport to a hospital.

In addition to the apparatus being destroyed, Blackwell said the remainder of the engine room and upstairs meeting rooms sustained extensive damage.

The firefighter turnout gear on the truck was destroyed, according to Mike Matunis, the fire company's chief.

"We're not sure if the building is a total loss," Matunis said.

"It sustained heavy damage," Kalce said.

"You can't replace a building like this. It was built in 1887. But I'm assuming the building's a total loss because of the damage. Where the truck is sitting, the concrete floor is sagging. The joists between the second floor and third floor are burned out. And if you look up in there, you can see right through the ceiling," Matunis said, as he pointed to a shaft of sunlight coming through the roof.

There is a historical marker mounted to the building.

"As far as a dollar value as to the loss, it's unthinkable because of the age of the building and I'm very doubtful it can be saved," Matunis said.

The home next door at 31 E. Mahanoy St., is owned by Susan Sampson, East Strousburg, according to the online Schuylkill Parcel Locator.

It sustained smoke damage, according to Kalce.

The borough was a busy place Saturday as more than 200 fire trucks rolled in for the 59th annual Schuylkill County Volunteer Firefighters Convention parade. And the parade was held in conjunction with Mahanoy City's sesquicentennial celebration, so there were at least 70 other units there, from high school bands to dignitaries in sports cars.

The fire company was planning to drive the ladder truck in the parade.

Instead, only six of the company's volunteers marched: Patti Gilroy, Chris Rovinsky and his brother, Bill, Alex Blackwell, Randy Jones and Frank Mummey.

"We only have six volunteers marching because the rest of us are worn out. And these are younger volunteers and they're ready to go," said Howell Davis, the fire company's president and chief engineer.

Rainbow Hose Fire Company No. 1, Schuylkill Haven, recognized the volunteers during the parade with a sign taped to one of its fire trucks: "Our thoughts and prayers are with you Washington Fire Company."

A fund drive to support the fire company will be set up at M&T Bank in the borough on Monday, according to Matunis.