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Crews Battle Fire, Cold in Montour County

DANVILLE — Firefighters were called out to fight a fire in Danville Friday morning and despite the cold weather, they jumped into action. The deputy fire ...
dan fire 2-13-15

DANVILLE -- Firefighters were called out to fight a fire in Danville Friday morning and despite the cold weather, they jumped into action.

The deputy fire chief in Danville said the cold temperature made it difficult.  Two fire hydrants were frozen and water on the ground made it into basically a skating rink.

Neighbors and the owners of a house on C Street in Danville stood and watched as the home went up in flames.

The fire started around 6:30 a.m. and right off the bat firefighters battled more than smoke and flames.

Danville Fire Department Deputy Chief John Moyer said it was two degrees when his crew got to the house.  He says the frigid weather takes a toll on firefighters.

"You're dealing with the cold. You're dealing with the conditions as far as the ice conditions, it makes it so much harder," Moyer said.

When firefighters first arrived they had to deal with frozen fire hydrants.

"We pulled in mutual aid for tankers and tanker shuttles to establish our water," Moyer said.

Doug Heimbuch lives across the street from the house that caught fire.  He says the owners were remodeling it.  He tried to help the firefighters.

"I tried to give a little bit of ice, or salt I should say to help put some friction on the ground, but they wound up needing the borough truck to dump a ton of salt on the ground," said Heimbuch.

Even so, firefighters say all of the water made the street like a skating rink.

"When it's cold outside, it's hard to hold onto the hose when your hands are frozen with the water.  So it makes it tough for us to fight it and hold on to everything when it just keeps sliding away," said Brent Filbert with Point Township Fire Company.

The firefighters say extreme conditions are something they train for and must deal with.

"They train you the best they can, but coming out here and doing it is a whole different story.  When you train, you're training in regular temperatures, you aren't training here in the freezing cold," said Todd Fisher with Tuckahoe Fire Company.

The deputy fire chief believes the fire started on the first floor of the house and is not suspicious.  A state police fire marshal ruled the fire undetermined because he could not safely get inside the house.

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