Rescue 18, from Citizens Fire Company No. 1 of Enola, was dispatched on a first alarm assignment for a mutual aid call at 2:37am Tuesday January 20th 2004 for a reported building fire in the borough of Lemoyne, just outside of Harrisburg Pennsylvania. Upon arriving, smoke was visible through all windows on side A of the building, and smoke was pushing through a gable vent. Other personnel that arrived on scene earlier reported heavy smoke and fire from lower level windows on the B side of the building, where the initial fire attack was being made. The building involved had been renovated numerous times, and there were multiple businesses housed within. The maze-like interior of the building made this a difficult assignment. The temperature was cold, creating hazardous conditions due to ice buildup, and there was a brisk wind blowing.
Additional personnel arrived on scene and interior firefighting operations were well under way. A little over an hour into the operation, the order was given to evacuate the building, as the fire seemed to be outpacing the attack. Shortly thereafter, heavy fire started erupting from the majority of the second floor windows on side A. Various master streams were used to knock down the fire, before crews again re-entered the building for overhaul operations
Around 2500
