Stewartstown, PA - At 12:09 P.M. on November 16th, Eureka Vol. Fire Company's Box 54-10 in East Hopewell Twp. was struck out for a kitchen fire on Round Hill Church Road.

Engine 54-2 (EVFC), Engine 54-3 (EVFC), E45 (North Hopewell-Winterstown), Engine 1011 (Norrisville-Harford Co.), Tanker 56 (Fawn Grove), Tanker 54-1 (EVFC), Tanker 43 (Felton), Truck 54 (EVFC), Truck 58 (New Freedom), Rescue 61 (Shrewsbury), and Ambulance 54-1 (EVFC) were due. Due to minimal manpower, pieces on the first-alarm were asked to be replaced. Engines 56-3 and 56-1 (Fawn Grove) went en route at that time.

First-arriving Engine 54-2 found heavy fire and smoke showing from sides 'A' and 'B' on the first floor. Truck 54 came in behind them while Engine 54-3 staged at the end of the driveway and sent its manpower up. Engine 45 and Tanker 56 arrived simultaneously, with Engine 45 proceeding down the driveway and Tanker 56 establishing nurse tanker operations at the end of the driveway.

With Chief 54 inside helping the first-in units fight the fire, Chiefs 56-1 and 45-1 established Command. A working fire assignment and Tanker Task Force were requested simultaneously at 12:14 P.M. On the working fire assignment, Engine 54-4 (EVFC), Tanker 45 (North Hopewell-Winterstown), Tanker 1025 (Norrisville-Harford Co.), Air 35 (Dallastown), Engine 451 (Maryland Line-Baltimore Co. for RIT), Truck 19-1 (York Twp.), Medic 2-88 (Pinnacle), MICU 95-31 (SYCEMS), and Fire Police from 54, 43 and 45 were requested.

On the Tanker Task Force, Engine 43 (Felton), Tanker 55-1 (Airville), Tanker 454 (Maryland Line-Baltimore Co.), Tanker 39 (New Bridgeville), Tanker 37 (Windsor), and Tanker 59 (Glen Rock) were due.

Arriving units began staging on the hard road and sending their manpower down to the scene. Engine 56-1 established a draft site at a nearby pond in case a tanker shuttle needed to be started. At 12:25 P.M., Command sounded a second-alarm, bringing Engine 55-1 (Airville), Tanker 63 (Loganville), Engine 55-3 (Airville), Engine 61-2 (Shrewsbury), Rescue 39 (New Bridgeville), Tanker 35 (Dallastown), Tanker 44 (Craley), Truck 631 (Whiteford-Harford Co.), Engine 56-2 (Fawn Grove), and Ambulance 455 (Maryland Line-Baltimore Co.) to the scene. While en route however, most of these second-alarm units were cancelled.

Crews were able to get a good knock on the fire around 12:50 P.M., and some of the crews began to take up from the scene. Air 35 staged in a nearby driveway and filled air bottles for those working on the scene. Crews spent roughly two hours following the knockdown of the fire performing extensive overhaul and extinguishing hot spots. All but Stewartstown's crews had cleared the scene by 3:00 P.M., and by 3:30 P.M., they cleared the scene as well.

The kitchen area where the fire originated, and parts of the first and second floors sides 'A' and 'B' received heavy fire damage. The rest of the home received heavy smoke and water damage. The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Great work by all crews working together to make a good stop on this large fire.