RED LION, Pa. —
More than 80 emergency responders were on the scene of a three-alarm fire late Saturday night at the Hilltop Apartments building on the 100 block of Henrietta Ave.
Residents of all 18 units were awoken by a fire alarm around 11:45 p.m.
“When I opened the door to my bedroom there was a wall of white smoke,” said Justin Keithan, a resident on the third floor. “I went, `Oh darn!`
Firefighters began searching the building for people and the source of the fire. One team from the Goodwill Fire Company of York Township was on the second floor when they saw thick smoke and felt intense heat. As they tried to exit the room and close the door behind them, smoke particles and gases ignited in a flashover fire. The explosion threw the door open and surrounded the firefighters in bright light and temperatures probably higher than 1,200 degrees F, burning through their jackets and melting their masks.
Lieutenant Victor Velez was wearing a white helmet, which the flames turned completely black.
He wrote FOX43 about the incident via text:
“I realized we were in a bad situation and tried to get my crew out of the building as soon as possible. Mentally I feel fine, physically I`m sore and tired.”
Lieut. Velez was among five firefighters injured that night, and is receiving treatment for burns on both his ears.
The American Red Cross Greater Pennsylvania Region is assisting 42 people displaced by the fire.
“The immediate needs are going to be shelter, food, lodging, clothing, those types of things,” said Lisa Landis, American Red Cross director of communications for Greater Pennsylvania. “Then there`s also the prescriptions, the medications, those little things that you may not think of when there`s a disaster that takes place. And then our case work will continue in the days ahead as we look to what recover looks like.”
Residents may not be able to move back for several months. Today some were allowed to go into their apartments to gather belongings, though much was damaged by fire or smoke.
“I`m not overly concerned about having to replace a TV, a pair of pants,” Keithan said while loading up a storage trailer. “I can another pair of pants. I can`t get another 6-year old, I can`t get another 11-year-old, and I definitely can`t replace my wife.”
All residents got out safely and all injured firefigheters are home and doing well, Red Lion Fire Chief Scott Gingrich confirmed.
The Pennsylvania State Fire Marshall is investigating the cause of the fire.
If you were affected by the fire and require assistance from the American Red Cross, you can call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767).