Two firefighters injured battling Mahanoy City brush fire
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL - A forestry firefighter conducts a firing operation -- a controlled burn to remove fuel in a wildfire -- at the scene of a brush fire in Mahanoy Township on May 4, 2026.
MAHANOY CITY – Firefighters from across the region, with air support, battled a sizable brush fire just east of the borough.
Crews were called to the base of the Vulcan Hill around 4pm for a reported brush fire.
Not long after, smoke could be seen from the west end of town billowing from the east end.
Flames spread along Locust Mountain north of the Reading and Northern Railroad between the area of Hillside Auto and the village of Buck Mountain.
In addition to the Mahanoy City Fire Department, crews from Shenandoah, Shenandoah Heights, Hometown, Ryan Township, Sheppton-Oneida, Llewellyn, and Saint Clair all responded along with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Bureau of Forestry.
Crews staged at Hillside Auto and on Buck Mountain Road.
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL – Shenandoah firefighter Toby Gudinas talks to Shenandoah Heights Fire Chief Larry Levy at the scene of a Mahanoy City brush fire on May 4, 2026. on May 4, 2026. 
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL – Firefighters ride a side-by-side into the woodlands from Buck Mountain Road on May 4, 2026. 
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL – Mahanoy City Fire Chief Dan Markiewicz in command at the brush fire on the borough line on May 4, 2026. 
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL – Several forestry firefighters stand by at the scene of a brush fire on May 6, 2026.
The latter brought in a firefighting airplane to help bring the fire under control in the mountainous terrain.
The fire was brought under control by sundown though DCNR crews will be back on Tuesday morning to continue cleanup work.
Two firefighters were injured, one of whom was taken to an area hospital.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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