Around 9 am, Cheswold was alerted for a house fire at 63 New Street. The report of a confirmed fire in a bedroom activated automatic mutual aid from Leipsic (rescue company) and Dover (ladder company). Assistant Chief Whitby arrived to find a 2 story house with heavy smoke showing and established command. Engine 43-2 arrived shortly after and advanced an attack line into the front door. Engine 43-4 arrived next and laid a 5" supply line from the intersection of Commerce Street and New Street. Dover's engine completed that lay to a hydrant further south on Commerce Street. The various crews on the initial response knocked down the bulk of the fire, but additional manpower was requested to assisted with the extensive overhaul that was hampered by the age of the house, multiple additions, and several layers of roofing material. Crews from Clayton, Hartly, Smyrna, and Little Creek were brought in to assist with this. The fire was placed under control and there were no injuries. The house next door suffered minor damage to the siding in spite of being only around 1 foot from the house on fire.
Units on scene:
Cheswold-Engine 43-2, Engine 43-4, and Engine 43-3
Dover-Ladder 46-2 and Engine 46-3
Leipsic-Rescue 53-6
Smyrna-Engine 44-4
Clayton-Engine 45-4
Hartly-Tanker 51 and Engine 51-3
Little Creek-Engine 54-5 covered Cheswold from the fire scene