Fire also sent two firefighters to hospital with minor injuries, officials said
By Kathleen Brady Shea, Managing Editor, The Times
The Modena Fire Company was one of multiple departments that responded Wednesday evening to a fire at an East Fallowfield Township residence.
A fast-moving, accidental fire that destroyed an East Fallowfield Township home Wednesday night also sent two firefighters to the hospital with minor injuries, officials said.
Crews from Modena, Westwood, Sadsburyville, Coatesville, Cochranville, and West Bradford were dispatched at 5:46 p.m. and found the garage at the residence in the 100 block of Westmoreland Drive fully involved, with flames extending into the attached home, said Assistant Chief Fire Marshal John A. Weer. Tankers from Po-Mar-Lin and Avondale were then summoned, he said.
Weer said the fire was placed under control at 6:23 p.m., and crews remained on the scene until 9 p.m. Two firefighters were treated at Brandywine Hospital, one for burns to his hands and another for observation after a portable ladder became displaced and fell, striking him in the head and shoulder. Also, the owner, who was home when the fire started, was treated at the scene for minor burns to his hands, Weer said.
The ranch home, which had working smoke detectors, was completely destroyed from the fire, with an estimated loss of about $445,000, Weer said. The fire was investigated by the Chester County Fire Marshal’s Office along with the State Police Fire Marshal, who determined that the fire, deemed to be accidental, started in the garage.
With summer approaching, fire officials want to warn residents to use extreme caution when refueling equipment, such as lawn mowers, that use gasoline. Make sure you are in a well-ventilated area and that the motors and/or engines have cooled down prior to refueling.
