Sipesville Volunteer Fire Company

Stations 601, 602, 607, 623, and 900 were activated for a commercial structure fire at Dumbauld's Tire Service around 06:01 hours on Monday, April 29. A responding 900 EMS unit reported heavy smoke in the area with flames through the roof. Command 601-9 (Davis) arrived on scene, establishing command and requesting a second and third alarm. The second alarm added stations 603 and 628, while a third alarm was a special request for Tower 3-1 from Richland. Engine 607-4 (Kovach) responded within minutes of the dispatch with a full crew. Engines 601-1 and 601-2 pulled into the delta side of the structure to make an initial attack, while Tower 601-3 setup on the alpha side of the structure. Engine 607-4 was given orders to lay LDH from the hydrant in front of the PennDOT shed into the scene to feed the tower. After this assignment was completed the engine crew assisted 601 firefighters with knockdown of the fire in the garage area of the business. The structure was then vented, and firefighting operations turned to salvage and overhaul. Firefighters prevented the fire from spreading into the front half of the building; however, the garage area and two vehicles were severely damaged. A burglar alarm in the business alerted the owners, who found flames shooting through the garage doors upon their arrival to investigate the alarm. This caused a slight delay in activating the fire departments; however, a quick response by Somerset and its neighboring companies kept this fire from consuming more of the building. All agencies worked well together on scene and all units were released from the scene in less than two hours.