Wednesday evening at 5:46pm the Royersford Fire Department and mutual aid agencies were dispatched to the 200 block of 2nd Avenue. Royersford Borough Police were on patrol and noted smoke coming from the residences and immediately took action requesting the fire department be dispatched while also beginning to check and evacuate the involved residences. Ladder 98 arrived on location 4 minutes after dispatch with Engine 98, Liberty Fire Company Ladder 63 & UPDFES Engine 68 all arriving within 7 minutes of dispatch. Crews battled fully engulfed fire conditions in multiple units along with strong winds dropping temperatures below freezing. Approximately 100 responders from a dozen agencies took 3.5 hours to bring the situation under control. A full list of agencies and units is below according to the MCDPS report from the incident.
Thankfully despite a rapidly intensifying situation no injuries were reported to occupants or responders although several pets did perish.
Special thank you to Lost Planet Brewing who provided dinner for the crew of Ladder 83 from Worcester while they stood by in our station providing coverage to the area. We can't think of a better welcome to the Borough than a warm meal and a thank you for covering the area while crews operated just blocks away.
Last but certainly not least thank you to the amazing Spring-Ford Community for rallying around these families and our responders. You are truly what makes this community the best and we cannot thank you enough for the outpouring of support during the incident and the hours following.
*Many of the photos included below were taken from various social media outlets. Thank you to those who shared them. |