| A fire that ravaged four West
Scranton houses, damaged two others and threatened a residential city block Thursday
morning might have been contained sooner if fire hydrants in the neighborhood were working
and dead hydrants were tagged, firefighters said. Firefighter Tom Noll said he wasted
between 30 and 45 minutes trying to find a hydrant for a hose running to the rear of 344
N. Garfield Ave., where the fire apparently began and some of the most serious damage
occurred.
Mr. Noll, the chauffeur for Engine 10, was ordered to connect to a hydrant at North
Garfield Avenue and Swetland Street, but when he arrived he found Engine 4 already hooked
into it with a line running half a block to the front of the burning houses.
Backing down Swetland one block at a time, he stopped at three cross streets Rebecca
Avenue, Lincoln Avenue and Sumner Avenue but at each corner the hydrant was dead. He
crossed north on Sumner to Pettebone Street, then climbed the hill to Pettebone and
Garfield, where he found a hydrant with water. He ran 800 feet of hose from that hydrant
across Garfield and down Swetland to the alley behind the burning homes. Minutes later, he
learned the water pressure was so low the hook-up was virtually useless.
He shut down the connection, added another 200 feet from his line to a hydrant at
Rebecca and Pettebone and pumped from there into a 200-foot line on Engine 8, which had
maneuvered into the alley near the fire scene.
By then, Mr. Noll had covered a seven-block loop searching for a source of water.
If the hydrants had been marked as faulty, Mr. Noll would have been able to save time,
he and firefighters union President Michael Ferke said.
If the first couple of hydrants worked, I could have had water to them in a minute.
Thank God I had 200 feet of line left, Mr. Noll said.
The firefighters have been asking for out-of-service hydrant tags for more than two
years, Mr. Ferke said. In fact, they filed a grievance about it last month when they lost
a home on North Washington Avenue, partly because the hydrant wasnt working.
City officials told them the Department of Public Works would make signs for the
hydrants. And that was the last the firefighters heard about it.
The hydrants were among several problems they faced through the night. Manpower was
another, Mr. Ferke said.
Even though six engines, two trucks, Rescue 1 and Dunmores aerial truck were on scene,
no call went out for additional men. Twenty-seven firefighters, including drivers, were at
North Garfield from about 12:15 a.m. to 6:30 a.m.
Thats three and a half men per building. It was not enough. The chief should have
called another platoon out, Mr. Ferke said.
In the past, a second platoon would have been called as soon as the fire chief saw the
extent of the blaze thats not happening now because the chief has been told to reduce
overtime, Mr. Ferke said.
It was only by chance that Engine 9 the closest crew to the fire scene was staffed when
the fire call went out at 12:14 a.m. That company is only open a few nights a week.
They just hit it lucky last night, said Capt. Bill Piazza.
Engine 9 on Main Avenue arrived at the scene a couple of minutes after the first call
reached the county communications center, Mr. Piazza said. Engine 7, Rescue 1 and Truck 4
were right behind them.
Assistant Chief Jack Davis called for another company and Engine 8 arrived from Market
Street in North Scranton. At 12:20 a.m., he issued a second alarm, calling out Truck 2 and
Engine 4 from Mulberry Street and Engine 2 from South Scranton.
Engine 10 in East Mountain started toward the Mulberry Street headquarters to cover for
Engine 4, but midway there, heard orders to go directly to North Garfield and Swetland.
As Engine 10 was heading down the mountain on the opposite side of town about 12:30
a.m., Mr. Noll could see the huge ball of orange flames lighting the sky over West Side.
Fire Chief Harvey Applegate said the fire was so advanced when the fire department was
first notified, it would have been difficult to prevent the property loss.
The volume of fire and the building was so far gone, the only way we could have stopped
it was if we were there when it started, he said.
He declined to say whether the dead hydrants contributed to the damage. But he said the
number of men on scene was adequate.
Some time was lost because firefighters conducted a search and rescue when early
reports indicated possible entrapment, he said. It turned out no one was trapped.
I could have had 200 people there and it wasnt going to save anything, Chief Applegate
said. Look at the amount of wood that burned. It was an external fire that you werent
going to be able to do an interior attack. The shift that worked did an excellent job to
contain the fire.
If I felt I needed more men, I would call them regardless of the money.
Mr. Ferke and others disagree.
Theyre playing Russian roulette, Mr. Noll said. Were lucky no one was entrapped. Were
lucky we didnt lose the block.
By the time the fire was out, 22 people were homeless. Houses at 348, 342, 344, 338-340
and 350 N. Garfield were either destroyed or damaged.
According to Chief Applegate, the fire appeared to start outside between the vacant 344
N. Garfield and the house in the rear.
Late Thursday afternoon, Mayor Jim Connors and Controller Roseann Novembrino released
an emergency declaration allowing the two buildings in the rear to be demolished.
Because those houses are leaning precariously to the side, community development office
director Mary Alice Burke sought the emergency order and city officials conducted an
on-site open bid at the scene. Shea Demolition will knock the houses down at 10 this
morning.
The fire is considered suspicious, but city arson investigator Tim Lavelle said
investigators may have to wait for the demolition crew to clear debris away before they
can search for clues.
LYNNE SLACK SHEDLOCK, Tribune staff writer, contributed to this report. |
