RINGTOWN, Pa. — Firefighters from several communities battled a huge fire in Schuylkill County early Monday.
Video sent to Newswatch 16 by Skook News show flames ripping through the rooftops of three buildings along West Main Street in Ringtown.
Crews were still putting out hotspots in the daylight when the damage was much more visible.
"Came in around 5:15, 5:30. When we got here to building one, the flames are already through the roof, working its way down into the lottery store and restaurant. The roof collapsed within 15 minutes, so it was all defensive pretty much from the beginning," said Ringtown Fire Chief Joseph Gilbert.
The hydrants nearby were working and in use, but Chief Gilbert says the cold weather required a large response, especially from tankers.
"The wind didn't help any, and the temperatures didn't help any. Everything was freezing. So we decided just because it was water that, we could just keep moving. We didn't have to let it sit and freeze up on us," the chief said.
Chief Gilbert says a firefighter from Shenandoah was able to rescue a man from the top story of one of the buildings. He is the only one believed to be displaced by the fire.
First responders believe the fire started in the pink building that was in the middle of renovations, and then it spread to the yellow and blue building next door, home to the Rentschler businesses, a convenience store, and an ice cream parlor.
"I was pretty upset because that's our landmark building. That's building's been there since, you know, forever. The whole community remembers that building, or it's ice cream, and it's candy, and so if you grew up over here, you've been in Rentschler's store and purchased something there," said Chris Brokenshire who owns the restaurant across the street.
Brokenshire hopes he and others in the neighborhood can help the Rentschlers rebuild.
"Staple in the community, people go over there for lunch and some of their smaller items. It's a friendly family business that everybody's going to miss. It's horrible for the community."
The fire chief says the damage is so bad in the back of these buildings that they will have to be torn down.
The state police are investigating the cause.
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