A firefighter was injured Thursday while battling a blaze that consumed a house near Gilbertsville and drew firefighters from 10 companies in Montgomery and Berks counties, a fire chief said.
The firefighter, whose name wasn't released, was taken by ambulance to Pottstown Memorial Medical Center after he suffered a head injury when he was hit by a section of fire hose, Chief Rick Smith of Gilbertsville Fire & Rescue Company said. The firefighter was being evaluated, Smith said.
The three occupants who were in the home - at 560 Congo Road in Douglass Township, Montgomery County, about 3 miles from the Berks line - escaped safely after discovering the detached garage was on fire shortly before 9:30 a.m., Smith said.
The fire spread to the adjacent home, which was fully aflame when the first crews arrived, he said.
"Once it burned through the vinyl siding it crawled up the side of the house and up onto the roof," Smith said.
The occupants of the home - a married couple and a sibling of one of them - were being assisted with emergency needs by the American Red Cross. Their names were not released. According to online county records, 560 Congo Road is owned by Raymond D. and Frances A. Binelli.
Hampered by a lack of a nearby water source, firefighters needed the Montgomery County Tank Strike Force to shuttle water to the area.
The garage burned to the ground, and the house is a total loss, Smith said.
A damage estimate was unavailable.
Several crews from Berks were called to assist, including Eastern Berks Fire Company and Boyertown Fire & Rescue. Bally Ambulance also responded along with Gilbertsville Ambulance.
At least one crew was called to stand by at the Gilbertsville station to handle fire calls while the Gilbertsville crews were at the fire.
The Salvation Army of Boyertown canteen unit was dispatched to feed and hydrate firefighters battling intense heat from the fire on an already warm day.
The cause of the fire is being investigated, Smith said.
Contact Steven Henshaw: 610-371-5024 or [email protected].
Steven Henshaw | Reporter
Reporter Steven Henshaw covers the police and crime beat for the Reading Eagle.
Phone: 610-371-5028
Email: [email protected]
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