Just after 11:30 pm Wednesday evening, Rescue 57 was alerted to assist the Union Fire Company No. 1 ~ Oxford, PA on a building fire in the first block of South Third Street in Oxford Borough. Within several minutes, the incident was upgraded to a 2nd, 3rd and then 4th alarm, bringing Truck 57, Engine 574 and Tanker 57 throughout the night and early morning. The units assisted with multiple fireground duties including search, fire attack, aerial master stream operations (which cut off fire spread to even more buildings) and water supply. Units worked throughout the night and day on Thursday to bring the fire under control and to extinguish hot spots while some of the properties were demolished.
This fire spread to multiple buildings in the Oxford downtown and left over 70 people homeless. Our thoughts are with the residents, business owners and people of Oxford.
This is one of the longest lasting incidents that QFD has ever worked. The Company was alerted at 23:31 Wednesday and Truck 57 was back in station just after 10 pm on Thursday. QFD Volunteers missed sleep, work, several meals and family time to staff and operate our apparatus on this fire. We logged an estimated 500 manhours on this fire. Our apparatus also logged hundreds of miles, with Tanker 57 hauling water all day into the evening.
Thanks to Hand in Hand FC Tanker 41 for standing by in Quarryville, and to local businesses that donated food. Great work to all involved.
