A fire destroyed a home in Washington Township Saturday afternoon, according to the Eastern Berks Fire Department.
Department officials gave the following account:
Firefighters were dispatched to Avalon Circle near County Line Road at 2:04 p.m. for a report of a house on fire.
When first responders saw the severity of the fire, they sounded a second alarm to bring in additional personnel and equipment, including tankers to supplement the hydrant system. A tanker filling site was established on County Line Road.
The house was destroyed, but all residents and pets were unharmed. Three nearby houses suffered minor damage from the intense heat.
State police and local fire investigators responded to the scene and found nothing suspicious about the cause of the fire. Further details were not available Sunday.
Assisting departments during the fire included Boyertown, Earl, Pennsburg, Hereford, Gilbertsville and New Hanover.
EMS units on scene included Bally, Gilbertsville, Macungie and Topton. Keystone Water Rescue provided mobile air cylinder refills, and the Salvation Army canteen provided food and hydration. Corey Melcher assisted with a track hoe to remove unstable walls and allow firefighters to extinguish inaccessible areas in the collapsed rubble.
The scene of a fire Saturday afternoon on Avalon Circle in Washington Township (courtesy of the Eastern Berks Fire Department) The aftermath of a house fire on Avalon Circle in Washington Township (courtesy of the Eastern Berks Fire Department)
