Lincoln Fire Company Volunteers Respond to Series of Wind-Driven Emergencies and Community Events
Photo by Lincoln Fire Company Station 16Heavy fire and smoke engulf vehicles following a multi-vehicle crash at Durlach Road and Main Street, prompting a large emergency response and extended traffic control.
Photo by Lincoln Fire Company Station 16Law enforcement and emergency vehicles secure the scene of a serious crash as smoke rises in the background during Saturday morning’s incident.
Photo by Lincoln Fire Company Station 16Lincoln Fire-Rescue apparatus participates in a community Santa escort, highlighting the department’s role beyond emergency response.
Photo by Lincoln Fire Company Station 16 A Lincoln Fire Company engine leads a neighborhood Santa escort, with volunteers and residents gathering along the route.
December 21, 2025 — Lincoln Fire Company Station 16 volunteers faced an exceptionally active weekend as strong winds swept through the region, triggering multiple emergency responses and community duties beginning Friday afternoon and continuing through Saturday.
The first call came Friday at 1:51 p.m. when crews were dispatched for traffic control at Durlach Road and Main Street due to multiple downed utility poles. Just minutes later, at 2:04 p.m., Lincoln firefighters assisted Ephrata Fire Station 19 with a wires-down incident. Later that night, at 11:04 p.m., units responded to a reported trash fire on Rettew Mill Road, which was determined to be a tree stump smoldering from a previous controlled burn.
Early Saturday morning at 5:24 a.m., Squirt 16 was dispatched to assist Akron Volunteer Fire Company 12 with a dwelling fire but was recalled while en route. At 7:31 a.m., Lincoln Fire Company was dispatched to a serious multiple-vehicle crash with fire and possible entrapment at Durlach Road and Main Street. Fire police from Lincoln, along with Durlach/Mt. Airy Fire Company, Ephrata Pioneer Fire Company, and Cocalico Area Fire Department, remained on scene until approximately 2 p.m. providing traffic control while police conducted their investigation.
Additional calls included a fire alarm response at 9:02 a.m. alongside Ephrata Fire Station 15, which was confirmed as a false alarm, and a building fire investigation at the Cloister Garden Apartments at 2:19 p.m. That incident was upgraded while crews were en route; firefighters found a light haze inside an apartment and spent about an hour on scene with assistance from Ephrata Pioneer Fire Company and Akron Volunteer Fire Company 12.
Between emergency responses, Lincoln volunteers also fulfilled a cherished community role, escorting Santa Claus throughout their coverage area from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
The weekend underscored the wide range of responsibilities handled by volunteer firefighters, from emergency response during severe weather to community outreach, often with little rest in between.
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