3.10.08 - Dwelling Fire in Backyard of CHFD Fire Station 2.

As taken from CHFD Official Press Release: At around 3:50 AM, March 10, 2008, Cherry Hill Firefighters at Cherry Hill’s Station 2 on West Route 70 and Cooper Ave. became aware of some commotion to the rear of their fire station. As one of the firefighters investigated through a window, they quickly realized there was a serious fire in the dwelling bordering the back of the firehouse.

One occupant who was asleep on the first floor and awoke to the sound of her smoke detector and immediately smelled a strong odor of smoke. She woke the other occupants, including a two year old toddler, and they evacuated the dwelling calling 911. She then ran to the door of the firehouse to alert firefighters.

As firefighters raced to grab their gear, they called in the fire to dispatchers as a full alarm to get the appropriate response and moved their apparatus out of the firehouse and into their own parking lot. One team of firefighters advanced a hose line to the rear of the dwelling where the heaviest fire had completely engulfed an outside porch area. At the same time, the balance of the firefighters worked with the occupants make sure everyone was out of the house.

As other teams of firefighters arrived, they advanced a second hose line into the house to back up the first, and encountered a quick moving fire that had consumed the laundry room and kitchen and was moving rapidly to the adjacent rooms. At the same time, even though all occupants were reported out, firefighters coordinated a systematic search of every room. They also began to open up all the windows of the house to alleviate the heavy smoke condition which had spread throughout the home. Once all visible fire was extinguished, firefighters opened up walls and ceilings to search for extension.
In all, 30 firefighters managed to place this fire under control in about 15 minutes. There were no injuries to civilians or firefighters reported at the scene. This fire is currently under investigation by the Cherry Hill and Camden County Fire Marshal Offices and Cherry Hill Police. For additional pictures, visit the CHFD's Flickr photo web site.

3/8 & 3/9 - CHFD Answers All Calls During the Storm....

As the tri-state area was ravaged by wind and rain over the 48 hour period from March 8th to 9th, the Cherry Hill Fire Department responded to more than XX storm related calls. Beginning with the heavy rains on Friday night into Saturday and the unusually strong and gusty winds on Saturday, firefighters were busy around the clock.
The heavy rain, estimated to be close to 2 inches in our region from the National Weather Service, caused the flooding of several basements. Cherry Hill Firefighters use submersible pumps to bring the water levels down to a safe level, reducing the impact on utilities and the structure. More damaging to the region were the 60 to 65 mph winds. Aside from the typical wires down calls associated with a storm like this, numbering 13 during this storm, firefighters also responded to calls involving significant damage to area structures and buildings.
Firefighters received a call for a structural collapse on Kresson Road, at about 6:00 PM on Saturday night. On their arrival, they encountered scaffolding from the Kresson Road water tower being heavily damaged by the wind. The scaffolding structure had been weakened and wooden planks and ripped portions of large tarps were being blown all over the area, including Kresson Road and the New Jersey Turnpike.
The New Jersey State Police were contacted and the Turnpike was requested shut down between exits 3 and 4, and Cherry Hill Police closed Kresson Road from Covered Bridge Rd. to Browning Rd. until firefighters could better assess the damage and extent of the falling debris. Members of the fire department’s Technical Rescue Team were called out to use sophisticated structural collapse equipment to monitor the water tower structure and the scaffolding. Kresson Road continued to be closed until about 7:00 Am the next day.
During the same period, Cherry Hill Firefighters were called to the Mark 70 Apartment building for numerous reports of a natural gas leak from residents on floors 4 through 18. During the investigation, firefighters found a broken two inch gas main pipe located on the roof that suffered damage when a large 25 by 50 foot section of the roof membrane had been torn away. The natural gas was being drawn into the building by large ventilation fans that normally bring fresh air into the common areas of the building. Public Service Electric & Gas responded to secure and repair the gas leak. Sections of the damaged roof were raining down in the parking and entrance area to the apartment building and Cherry Hill Police were called in to redirect residents to a safer exit.
In all, the fire department responded to about 30 calls during a 12 hour period at the height of the storm. Pictures provided to CHFD by Curt Hudson.