Crews battle Clifford Twp. blaze

BY LUKE RANKER
Times-Shamrock Writer

With ice forming on their helmets, firefighters battled a blaze in Susquehanna County Thursday afternoon that sent one firefighter to the hospital.

Just after 1 p.m. something sparked a fire in the dense, dead brush behind St. James Episcopal church in the 2000 block of Route 247 in Clifford Twp.

Fire crews had been fighting the blaze for about two hours when it jumped to an abandoned barn with at least one vintage car inside. Three other buildings caught fire as high winds quickly spread the fire in multiple directions, Clifford Twp. Assistant Fire Chief Dan O’Rourke said.

“It was like a tornado shooting down an alley,” he said.

With homes within 100 yards of the fire, multiple fire crews were called in to contain it, including crews from Forest City and Union Dale. At one point a Forest City fireman became weak and had to be taken to an area hospital. The condition of that firefighter was unknown Thursday night.

Multiple power lines tangled in the trees and brush made the situation dangerous for firefighters.

“That’s what kills firemen,” Mr. O’Rourke said.

A crew from PPL Electric Utilities was on the scene by 4:45 p.m. Fewer than five residents were without power for a few hours as crews repaired the lines, officials said.

As night fell, water began to freeze to the firefighters’ helmets and on the ground. At Newton Lake where trucks were pumping water, residents worried about ice forming on the road, Assistant Fire Chief O’Rourke said.

By 5 p.m. the fire was under control but debris on the foundation of the barn was still burning. It and one other building were destroyed and two smaller buildings were damaged, the chief said. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.