Pocono News Section

Fire Company Vows To Serve Despite Fire

Fire Company Vows To Serve Despite Fire - Thursday, September 13, 2007 at 6:32PM EST

Reported by: Jeff Chirico
Thursday, Sep 13, 2007 @06:32pm EST
SCHUYLKILL HAVEN, SCHUYLKILL COUNTY – Investigators spent Thursday morning searching for the cause of Wednesday afternoon's fire that destroyed the Schuylkill Hose Co. #2.

A cruel twist of fate left firefighters in Schuylkill Haven battling a blaze at their own hall yesterday. The bell of this scorched engine has been silenced but the determination of the volunteers at Schuylkill Hose Co. #2 reads loud and clear on the boarded-up bays.

Fire Chief Jim Reed says "I've been here since I was 14. And it’s really shocking --is one word. But I could think of a million others. Reed and about a dozen other volunteers gathered outside the building Thursday as a state police fire marshal searched for a cause to Wednesday's blaze. The mysterious fire destroyed two engines, a hazmat truck, other equipment and the interior of the garage.

Cork Fenstermacher laid the brick of this building thirty years ago. He says it’s hard to see it gutted. “But there's not much you can do but move on and we'll do it," says Fenstermacher.

Other fire departments have already offered to loan equipment to company. First assistant fire chief for the borough, Glenn Sattizahn says “we have from as far away as Philadelphia, McAdoo, Girardville, Pottsville, Hazle Township to name a few." Sattizahn hopes to have equipment and start responding to calls within two weeks. He says “its going to put us out of service but there's not going to be any interruption of fire protection. We have mutual aid companies around the area of Schuylkill Haven."

The state police fire marshal says it could be a while before he's determined what caused the fire.