This website is not a fire reporting website.. But today a blaze on Brock St. in Ashland PA hit close .. there are some personal connections to the multi-structure destruction that took place as a blue sky was above, and un-seasonal warmth melted snow below..
This was the scene as the fire began to fill the entire landscape with black billowing smoke.. The entire town smelled of soot and ash, and people who were close to the location reported multiple explosions occurring and an overall frightening scene…
Despite the mid-day warmth, streets were still filled with a glaze of ice and snow and firefighters rushed to the scene ..
“A rough situation here with a narrow street. We had some water issues. We had to get our tanker task force activated. Once all that was in place, things went pretty smooth after that,” said Ashland Fire Chief Philip Groody.
It took crews two hours to get the fire under control. Crews from Ashland and all over Schuylkill County responded.
We spoke to one woman who was inside when her home here on Brock Street started to burn.
“I was just sitting in my house and my aunt and uncle came home from grocery shopping, and my uncle’s outside yelling, ‘call 911!’ and well, I opened the door and I looked out and the neighbor’s house two doors down was up in flames and I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh!'” said fire victim Ciera Waizenegger.
The enormous flames took out yet another block of coal region row homes—something all too familiar in recent years in so many towns …
As awful as the news of today has been, there is something equally awe-inspiring about volunteer fire fighters who rush into the scene of mayhem and potential harm ..
There is an emotional chill down the spine when you see firefighters race into danger to save lives and property.. That occurred today as alarm after alarm was triggered across the county ..
Recently, I personally had the occasion to get stuck in the horrendous Port Carbon blaze a few weeks ago.. And while I write this is not a fire related website, I needed to mention a few things that meant something to me from that night I witnessed the awful blaze in that town…
That night was cold.. the type of cold that chilled the spirit and body to the bone… I got rushed away from the main street of Port Carbon as it was closed so firefighters could do their jobs–unpaid jobs…
The volunteers were calm and calculated in their mission as I filmed and watched from a safe location across the street. They were brave in their heavy uniforms.. dutifully marching into homes with flames reaching rooftops.. They were gutting portions of walls in order to get to the blaze.. they didn’t ask questions, but just acted. Without hesitation..
Warming tents were set up..
Local businesses began delivering water and food without requests being made…
It all looked so matter of fact.. so by the book.. As an deadly fire was displacing residents and causing chaos, firefighters were calmly doing their jobs………. Unpaid jobs……… and jobs that went well into the night after the glare of media and iPhone recorders left the snowy scene..
Today in Ashland, as the fire ripped through multiple structures, volunteer firefighters did their job again.. Without question or doubt, without fear or apprehension..
And that above all should be appreciated and thanked….
