12/16/21 - Mechanicsburg, PA - W. Main St

A second alarm fire Thursday evening heavily damaged a third floor apartment in Mechanicsburg’s business district. Cumberland County Fire Dispatch toned Box 29-02 at 2225 hours to the address of 26 W. Main Street for an apartment building fire. Due to numerous calls, the full working fire box was sent on the initial dispatch. Engine companies 29, 37, 31, 23, Trucks 29, 23, Rescues 29, 30, RIT 33, 69, and Air 13 made up the first alarm assignment. Chief 3-29 quickly arrived on scene with a 3 story, end of the row, with smoke showing from the third floor on side A. Mechanicsburg Squad 29 laid in from the west and Engine 1-29 laid in from the square on the eastern side. Both of these companies supplied hand lines and Upper Allen Truck 23 and Hampden Truck 30. Silver Spring Engine 31 secured a line from the rear and along with Tanker 31 supplied Mechanicsburg Truck 29 and hand lines from the C side of the building. US Navy Engine 37 set up on Railroad Ave on the D side of the structure. Interior crews encountered heavy fire on the third floor rear which extended into the cockloft, which was a 2 foot space that ran the entire length of the building front to back. Due to deteriorating conditions and the fire breaking thru the roof Command 8 (Neff) requested a second alarm bringing Engine companies 12, 22, and 25 to the scene. With numerous lines operating and fire in the cockloft, Command 8 ordered all companies out of the building and used the master stream from Trucks 29 and 30 to knock down the fire in the cockloft. Shortly after conditions started to improve, companies resumed interior operations and started to get the upper hand as companies were able to open up and get lines in place. All occupants were reported out of the building and all searches were negative. The fire building was a 3 story, brick, ordinary construction with apartments on the second and third floors. The first floor was the former Gingerbread Man restaurant, a fixture in the borough for years, but was closed at the time of the fire while new ownership prepares to open up the business. The fire was placed under control in about an hour with extensive overhaul and mop up before companies cleared the scene and returned to service.