After handling a CO Alarm on Lakeview Ave. at 7:23 am, the Volunteers began preparing for a big Thanksgiving Day breakfast with their families. The food was just being served and family members were just arriving when at 9:02 am, the tones dropped for a house fire at 3985 Vernon Rd, in the first-due. As Engine 20-1 (D/C M. Morgan), Engine 20-2 (Lieut. Rapp), and Ladder 20 (A/C B. Tully) blew out the door, Fireboard advised that police were already on the scene reporting a working kitchen fire. 20-1 arrived and reported they had a 2 story duplex with heavy smoke on the 2nd floor and confirmed a working kitchen fire. The crews of 20-1 and 20-2 stretched an 1 3/4″ handline and established a water supply, as Ladder 20’s crew began searches and ventilation. The Engine crews found a fire on the stove-top that extended up into the cabinets above, as well as into the walls and ceiling area. The crews knocked the fire in under a minute and began opening up the walls and ceiling to check for any further extension, which was negative. Searches also proved negative. The fire was placed under control by the first 10 minute mark and scaled back a few minutes later. Company 20 mopped up and returned to the Station just before 10 am.
The crews hoped to then sit and eat with their families, but just as they tried once again to do so, the tones dropped for another first-due house fire, this time at 4053 Ellendale Rd. Once again 3 rigs blew out the door. This time, 20-1 arrived to find a heater malfunction with light smoke in the house and CO readings over 100 ppm. Several residents inside the home were complaining of illness and were tended to by paramedics on scene. As Companies were operating at this scene, Fireboard advised Command of another emergency in the first-due, this time a fire alarm at Congress Court Apts, 1800 Garrett Rd. Quint 37 (Upper Darby) and Ladder 36 (Cardington-Stonehurst) were released from the Ellendale Rd. scene and re-directed to the 2nd emergency. Rescue 20 also responded and arrived first to find burnt food and light smoke in a 2nd floor apartment. The Rescue handled the ventilation and returned a short time later.
Only minutes after returning to the Station, the tones were dropped yet again for another first-due house fire, this time at 446 Burmont Rd. Engine 20-1 arrived and reported just a problem with the stove this time, as the assignment was recalled in short order. Crews finally returned and caught a break for a few hours, but the food was now gone and the coffee was cold……
