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Flames Keep Firefighters Busy at Several Locations in Schuylkill County

ASHLAND — More than a half-dozen fire companies started the day in Ashland trying to save the home of a Marine Corps veteran. They were able to bring the ...
schyl fires

ASHLAND -- More than a half-dozen fire companies started the day in Ashland trying to save the home of a Marine Corps veteran.

They were able to bring the veteran, his wife, and two children to safely. The family dogs, Minnie and Layla, weren't so lucky.

"They worked on the dogs, they were giving them CPR and resuscitation, for about a half hour each they continued to work on the dogs," said Thomas Dando.

Dando is a relative of the family who lived in this home. It's a total loss.  Two others were damaged.

The family is grateful for the effort of all the fire departments that tried to save it.

"They need to be commended, these volunteer fire companies, these men and woman for what they do."

This may be the day for that because after some of the firefighters left this fire around noon, they were called out to another one. This time to a second-alarm house fire along Third Street in Kline Township, near McAdoo, where another home was gutted.

There was also a brush fire near Mahanoy City that began to concern many throughout Schuylkill County.

At around 1 p.m. Friday, dark brown smoke could be seen for miles.

"I was coming down 81 south, I seen a little bit of smoke here and there," said truck driver joey Mitchell. "Coming down 81, all you see is just the whole mountain is burning, trees, it's just going fast."

That brush fire was a 214-acre controlled burn, but Schuylkill County communications told us they were inundated with concerned callers who not only saw the smoke but could smell it miles away in Pottsville.

As for the other fires around Schuylkill County, other than the two dogs that died, no one was hurt.

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