Brush fires, downed trees, power lines keep county firefighters busy

FOUNTAIN – To say today’s weather has kept local firefighters busy would be a gross understatement.

Firefighters from all ends of the county have been kept busy with a multitude of calls, from trees down, to wires down, brush fires to vehicle accidents, as well as some combinations of all. Many of the incidents were caused by today’s high winds.

At least two brush fires became multi-alarm incidents.

Tremont Brush Fire

Just after noon, firefighters were called to the 400 block of West Main Street in Tremont for a brush fire.

Fire crews arrived to find a brush fire along the side of the mountain, and a second alarm was struck.

Units from Tremont, Pine Grove, Newtown, Sacramento, Hegins Valley, and more responded to the scene along with the Commonwealth Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Forestry firefighters.

The fire was brought under control within about an hour and a half.

Fountain Brush Fire

At least ten acres burned along the mountainside near the Hegins Township village of Fountain.

Firefighters were called around 3:00pm to Fountain Road for the reported brush fire, and a column of smoke could be seen from miles away.

A second alarm was struck for this incident as well.

Firefighters from Schuylkill and Dauphin Counties responded to this incident, including Hegins Valley, Sacramento, Joilett, Wiconisco, Berrysburg, Gratz, Hegins EMS, Llewellyn, and more, along with DCNR.

The fire was brought under control by 5:00pm, and the local fire crews cleared the scene, with the exception of Llewellyn and DCNR.

Mable Brush Fire

As crews were being dispatched to Fountain, firefighters from Joliett, Sacramento, and Ashland were also dispatched to the Barry Township village of Mable for another brush fire.

The brush fire was along a pole line a distance off Mable Road.

The fire was contained by 4:30pm, and all units were clear of the scene by 5:30pm.

Ashland Tree Down

A tree came down behind homes in the 2100 and 2300 blocks of Pine Street in Ashland, taking down wires and, with them, power for the neighborhood.

Ashland Fire Chief Phillip Groody was called to the scene to assess the situation, and PPL Electric Utilities was contacted to respond.

Local residents reported lives wires being down in their backyards, and an isolated section of their neighborhood without power.

According to PPL’s outage map, 19 customers in the neighborhood were without power as of 6:00pm, with a cited cause of “weather” and a restoration time estimated at 11:00pm Saturday.

Additional Incidents

According to Nuremberg-Weston Fire Co.’s Facebook page, their company has handled seven incidents as of 3:00pm, including a brush fire in Columbia County, which was the result of a downed power line, and a tree down blocking Red Ridge Road in North Union Township.

Lavelle firefighters handled a transformer fire near the village.

Pottsville City Bureau of Fire firefighters handled a single vehicle accident on the Gordon Nagle Trail.

In Cass Township, fire crews responded to a tree down atop a car near the coal breaker on Mount Laffee Road, as well as a brush fire near Schaeffer’s Hill.

Ringtown Valley and Sheppton-Oneida firefighters were kept busy with a multitude of trees and wires down in their areas, as well.

Power Outages

According to PPL’s outage map, about 400 customers within the Sentinel’s coverage area are without power as of 6:00pm, most in rural areas, specifically the Ringtown Valley.

There are no outages in Shenandoah, Mahanoy City, Girardville, or Frackville, according to the map.

The largest outages are just outside Ringtown, to the northwest, where 149 customers are without power.

Photo Galleries

Tremont: https://shensentinel.smugmug.com/2021/March/Tremont-Brush-Fire-3262021/

Fountain: https://shensentinel.smugmug.com/2021/March/Fountain-Brush-Fire-3262021

Mable: https://shensentinel.smugmug.com/2021/March/Mable-Brush-Fire-3262021

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