On Saturday, Sept. 17 the Bradford City Fire Department was dispatched to a structure fire at 38 Lorana Avenue.
Tower 1, a 75-foot tower ladder with a 2,000-gpm pump and Engine 1, a 1,500-gpm pumper, responded with five firefighters under the command of Captain Mathew Rettger.
While enroute, Captain Rettger could see smoke in the sky several blocks from the scene and requested a second alarm. This would bring 10 off-duty city firefighters to the scene with Engine 2, a 1,250-gpm pumper and two ALS ambulances.
Derrick City Volunteer Fire Department responded with Engines 112, and 113, both 1,500-gpm pumpers and Medium Rescue 111 with 13 firefighters. Bradford Township Volunteer Fire Department responded to Central Fire Station with Engine 151, a 1,500-gpm pumper with an eight-man crew for standby and a five-man crew of additional manpower responded to the scene to assist with firefighting operations.
Firefighters found heavy smoke and fire coming from the attached one-story garage area, spreading to the two-story house. Tower 1 hooked on to a hydrant with a 25-foot, five-inch supply line. A three-inch blitz attack monitor was deployed to the garage area and a one and three quarter-inch attack line was advanced into the one-story portion of the structure.
As additional firefighters arrived on scene, another three-inch blitz attack monitor was placed into operation along with three additional one and three quarter-inch attack lines. The one-story portion of the structure suffered heavy fire, water and smoke damage while the two-story portion received heavy smoke damage and moderate heat and water damage.
Firefighters were on scene for just over two hours. There were no injuries. The origin and cause of the fire are under investigation by a Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshal.