Man, woman hospitalized after Chester County home explosion

VIDEO/PHOTOS: A man and woman were hospitalized Sunday following a home explosion in southern Chester County, according to Pennsylvania State Police. According to police, the incident occurred around 9 a.m. Sunday in the 1500 block of Limestone Road, Upper Oxford Township. According to Pennsylvania State Police, two people were taken to Jefferson Hospital: A 70-year-old man and a 75-year-old woman. There is no word yet on the extent of their injuries. Fire departments from Chester and Lancaster counties responded to the scene, as well as crews from northern Delaware and Maryland. Officials say the house was on fire when crews arrived, and later collapsed. Excavating equipment was brought in to demolish what remained of the home. The cause of the explosion remains under investigation, according to state police.
WFMZ-TV 69 Allentown

Chemical fire causes partial building collapse at OMNIS Bailey building in Washington County

VIDEO: A chemical fire caused a partial building collapse at the OMNIS Bailey Building on the Washington-Greene County line. According to West Finley Volunteer Fire Department Chief Steve Emery, the chemical fire started shortly before 6:30 a.m. on Monday. When his department arrived on the scene, they couldn't enter the building. They called in the Waynesburg and City of Washington fire departments for ladder tower trucks, as they began to shuttle water. Chief Emery said there's diesel fuel in the building and other hazardous materials. The facility uses a machine to take out slurry from the mine and reproduce it to make fertilizer. As of now, the origins of the fire are unknown. There are also no injuries. Chief Emery told KDKA-TV that he called for an evacuation of houses from Enon Church Road to Route 18 in that area.
KDKA-TV CBS 2 Pittsburgh

Upper Merion Township Fire Department celebrates EMS Week with faster response times, thanks to new firefighters

VIDEO: This week marks the 50th anniversary of EMS Week, and one Pennsylvania department is celebrating faster response times, thanks to new graduates from the fire academy. "A dream. I love my job," said Joshua DePietro, more than two weeks into his new role as a firefighter-paramedic. He is one of 12 new professional firefighters and emergency medical technicians with the Upper Merion Township Fire Department. DePietro helps to supplement about 50 volunteer first responders who cover the community of more than 35,000 people. "We can help them out, they help us out," he said. "And it creates better coverage for the township at whole." Before graduation day on May 3, the department had just one shift with professional firefighters and EMTs along with on-call volunteers, Upper Merion Fire Chief James Johnson said.
KYW-TV CBS 3 Philadelphia

Late Wyomissing fire captain honored for his service

VIDEO/PHOTOS: First responders saluted Wyomissing Fire Captain Derrick Nester one last time at St. Paul's Church in Amity Township on Saturday. "He tragically passed away about two weeks ago, so we are here today to pay our final respects to him and to his family," said Wyomissing Police Chief John Phillips. The U.S. Fire Administration said Captain Nester died from an apparent heart attack following an overtime shift, where he responded to numerous calls. The administration said he is one of 25 firefighters in the U.S. to die while on duty so far this year. "Captain Nester, he was the type of person who was willing to help," said Chief Phillips. Fire Departments, Police and EMS from across the area came to pay their respects.
WFMZ-TV 69 Allentown

Fire rips through building in downtown Scranton

VIDEO: A fire that ravaged a downtown Scranton office building Saturday morning remained under investigation while crews worked to extinguish the smoldering structure. By late morning, the city fire department seemed to have the fire at 115-117 Franklin Ave. under control. They first arrived there around 8 a.m. to battle through thick smoke and terrible visibility. No one was inside the building when the firefighters arrived. There were no reports of injuries Saturday morning. The fire, crews soon learned, was “well progressed,” Fire Chief John Judge said. Out of a concern for safety, crews pulled out of the building and started to attack the fire from the outside. Large ladder trucks dumped water from overtop the building. "We won't know the cause for quite a while,” Judge said.
WNEP-TV ABC 16 Scranton

Highland Hose firefighters mark 50 years of service in Tarentum

Dave Torrence vividly remembers his first fire call in 1974 with the Highland Hose Volunteer Fire Company — it was the night he joined the Tarentum department. “I got in bed and the whistle blew,” said Torrence, 72, a lifelong borough resident. “I just thought, ‘Here we go.’” Fellow Highland Hose firefighter Sam Huey remembers his first response, too. “There was a mom-and-pop grocery store on the corner and a fire started in the basement,” said Huey, 68, who grew up in Tarentum and now lives in Harrison. “The lady who ran it and her nephew both died. It was awful. No sooner did we get that fire out than we got a call that Citizens Hose was on fire. It was a long night.” Torrence worked for 42 years as a press operator at the Valley News Dispatch/USA Today before retiring, and Huey is a retired federal officer of the U.S. Treasury Department.
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