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Rescue and mayday during Pa. 3-alarm fire

Allentown firefighters rescued a trapped resident during a three-alarm rowhome fire that extended into other homes

Editor’s note:
Audio of the mayday in the video above begins at the 5:20 mark.

By Christopher Dornblaser
The Morning Call

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A two-alarm fire in Allentown on Wednesday morning sent four people to the hospital and displaced two residents.

Allentown Fire Department said in a news release that firefighters were called about 7:40 a.m. for a report of a fire at a rowhome in the 100 block of North 13th Street.

Crews to the home, a three-story home in the middle of a row, and found a resident trapped on the first floor. Firefighters rescued the resident and turned them over to paramedics for treatment, according to the release.

Firefighters continued an “aggressive” attack on the fire inside the home while they searched for residents, the department said. The fire went to three alarms to make sure there were enough personnel and to prevent the fire from spreading, the release states.


ICs need training reps to practice strategic deployment of resources, backup plans and communication skills

It took crews about two hours to get the fire under control, according to Deputy Fire Chief Christian Williams.

One building was damaged by fire, and the two neighboring properties sustained smoke and water damage, the fire department said. One resident in the middle home and another from the neighboring home, as well as two firefighters, were taken to hospital for their injuries.

Williams said the injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

He said two residents are displaced, and the cause is under investigation.

The Red Cross is helping those displaced in the blaze.

Woodlawn Fire Co., Greenawalds Fire Co. and Eastern Salisbury Fire Department helped fight the fire Wednesday morning.

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