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By MICHAEL D. McELWAIN/Review Staff Writer
NEW CUMBERLAND - Firefighters from 13 different departments
battled an early morning blaze along Pearl Street in New
Cumberland Tuesday.
The former A&S store was burning when the first fire
crew arrived. "It was fully involved, and fire was shooting
through the roof," New Cumberland Volunteer Fire Department
Chief Larry Blackwell said. Firefighters arrived at the
burning building at 4:30 a.m.
Located along the 300 block Pearl Street, the former
grocery store had been unoccupied and vacant for several
years, according to the fire chief. By 7 a.m. all volunteer
fire departments in the county were on scene to assist along
with several volunteer and paid departments from surrounding
counties.
The main focus for firefighters was to protect nearby
homes. Some of those homes were within 20 feet of the fire.
"The fire buckled the vinyl siding of about three nearby
homes, but no other damage occurred," Blackwell said.
The chief credits the cooperative spirit between
departments as the main reason why the fire was contained in
such a small area.
John Arbogast gives the departments credit as well.
"My heart went 'pitter-patter' for a little while,"
Arbogast latter admitted. A resident of 304 Pearl St.,
Arbogast said his grandson woke him in the early morning hours
after he saw smoke from the building directly across the
street.
"It could have been very easy for it (the fire) to get out
of control," Arbogast said. Protecting the place he has called
home for the last 43 years, Arbogast got on an extension
ladder and used a water hose to wet down the roof.
"The heat and flames coming from that fire were really
intense," Arbogast said.
The fire proved to be stubborn with Blackwell saying his
department officially cleared the scene at approximately 3:30
p.m. Tuesday - some 11 hours after arrival.
New Cumberland Assistant Volunteer Fire Chief Michael Morin
said the first crews used hydrants as the water supply to take
on the fire. That water supply was not sufficient due to the
scope of the fire.
"We had to call in some tankers from the other
departments," Morin said. He estimated that 60 percent of the
manpower at the scene was associated with the use of tanker
trucks.
"The cause of the fire is under investigation, but it is
questionable," Blackwell said. Facts known to the fire chief
point to the fire starting inside the building. There was no
power to the abandoned building.
As to who owns the building now, Blackwell said that
question has not been answered. "It's not settled yet on just
who owns the building," he said. Records show that David
Collins is the property owner, but the state has several tax
liens against the property.
The state fire marshal is investigating, and Blackwell said
anyone with any information should contact the Hancock County
Sheriff's Department.
A member of the New Cumberland Volunteer Fire Department
for 41 years, Blackwell said the fire was not the biggest one
ever, but is the largest fire in recent history.
This is the second suspicious fire in the area. A trailer
fire is still under investigation by the fire marshal which
occurred in late July just two blocks south of the A&S
fire. Fire department officials did not say if the two were
connected.
Blackwell did use the opportunity to offer some advice to
New Cumberland homeowners.
"If there is any unoccupied property, local residents
should call law enforcement if they see anything suspicious in
those buildings," Blackwell said. He added that the A&S
building had been subject to break-ins on several recent
occasions. |
