By Lucas K. Murray
Gloucester County Times
WASHINGTON TWP., N.J. — It could have been disaster for the owners of a home in the 300 block of Westminster Boulevard Sunday if it weren’t for the fast action of the Washington Township Fire Department and a specialized unit of county firefighters.
Crews were called out just after 5 p.m. to investigate a structural collapse of a building. Once on the scene, responders found the entire side wall of the basement of the residence had been pushed in.
On that wall, a four-foot hole made by fallen concrete blocks allowed mud and silt to enter the basement.
Additionally, officials said the back wall of the home was cracked and bowed several inches inward and they feared the single-story rancher would collapse.
“It was imminent,” Fire Chief John Hoffman said of the home’s demise. “If we hadn’t touched it, half the house would have broken off and fallen into the basement.”
The Gloucester County Technical Rescue Task Force, a consortium of responders from Washington, Deptford and Gibbstown fire departments along with members of other departments were brought in to shore-up the walls of the basement.
The GCTRTF trains at least once a month on specialized rescue training, working with pre-engineered systems that give support to failing walls and structures.
“This particular team drills very regularly and are very skilled at this kind of work,” Hoffman said. “It’s not what you see every day.”
A small construction site was established right in the middle of Westminster Boulevard and a lumber truck was brought in to cut wooden supports to size to build a “double T-shore” system to prevent a collapse had the basement walls gave way.
Hoffman noted the 48 firefighters on the scene weren’t hauling hoses but instead were constantly bringing the lumber to one of three large saws.
Lines providing electricity and natural gas also had to be secured to make sure there was little danger of a fire or explosion occurring.
Luckily no one was injured, though the operation was time-consuming. Crews were cleared at just after 11 p.m. — six hours after they were first called out.
Copyright 2009 Gloucester County Times