First things first -- how did 30 people from eight families emerge without serious injury from a devastating fire early Sunday morning that destroyed 10 row homes in Allentown?
“The best break we caught was how the neighbors acted” in the first few minutes, Allentown Fire Department Capt. John Christopher explained Sunday afternoon.
Obviously, there were 911 calls, but residents of the narrow 700 block of North Fountain Street did more.
“The neighbors started banging on doors,” Christopher said. “The quick actions of the neighbors” were the key to everyone getting out quickly and no major injuries or fatalities being reported, the captain said.
Firefighters arrived to find the brick facade of one or more of the homes in the street, a rubble field that is not normal but not unusual, Christopher said.
While there were reports of an explosion, Christopher said there are typically many loud noises during a fire. Sunday’s call initially came in as a fire and building collapse, he added.
“We’re not sure if the neighbor heard an explosion or a wall coming down,” Christopher said.
“There was no initial indicator” of an explosion, Christopher said. Gas company UGI and power company PPL always respond to multi-alarm fires in the city and both remained in the scene into Sunday afternoon, Christopher said.
There was no smell of natural gas on that block of North Fountain Street and “no real indication it was a natural gas event,” Christopher said.
Two things happened simultaneously as firefighters began their work soon after 3 a.m.
They were able to talk to many residents of 714 through 732 North Fountain St. -- the 10 homes involved -- and be able to rule out entering many of the attached houses to search for survivors. Turned out only one person was unaccounted for, and he was out of town and located later, Christopher said.
The second thing that happened was the fire quickly spread along the roof line to all 10 row homes, Christopher said. The homes are quite old and places with balloon framing seldom have good -- or any -- firebreaks, he added. So the fire freely moved across from home to home and then it dropped down inside the walls, destroying the buildings from the inside, Christopher said.
Outside of going in to call out for survivors, this was quickly determined to be a defensive fight, Christopher said.
“Life safety first," Christopher said. Anyone “rushing in” -- a natural inclination of a responding firefighter -- had first to weigh the dangers, he said.
“You have to know what you’re getting into,” Christopher said.
This would not be a fire put out by hoses inside the structure as the walls were torn open, he said.
“You make sure everyone is out, then you fight the fire,” Christopher said.
“If there’s any question (about residents inside), you do as much as you can,” Christopher said. “... We make sure people know we’re there and that we’re looking for you.”
But, for example, with 726 N. Fountain, where the fire is believed to have begun, the facade was off and flames were roaring. It wasn’t safe to go inside, Christopher said.
Master streams -- large amounts of water delivered from ladder trucks and other places -- were used from the exterior to limit the fire and keep it from spreading, Christopher said. Since North Fountain is a narrow street, special attention was made to ensure the fire didn’t jump to the other side, Christopher said. There still was some wind after a number of breezy days and, even through the street is a natural barrier, spreading was not impossible, he said. So hoses were ready.
Firefighters eventually got ahead of the remaining fire in the row homes and then took on hot spots through the morning, Christopher said. And with demolition underway on Sunday afternoon -- since all the homes had lost their structural integrity -- it’s possible more fire is hiding deep in the debris, Christopher said.
A city fire marshal was on the scene to search for a cause and other relevant factors, and more fire marshals likely will be used, possibly some from outside the department, because there are 10 homes to consider, Christopher said. But, as unusual as it may seem, once a building is brought down by a demolition crew, it can still be probed for the fire’s secrets, the captain said. In their state just after the fire, many of the homes were too dangerous to enter, Christopher said.
But once there is no more risk from above -- either from fire or falling debris -- a fire marshal can work with what’s left in a far safer environment, Christopher said.
All 25 fire personnel on duty early Sunday responded to the North Fountain Street and five additional people were called in, Christopher said.
And whomever is needed for the investigation -- Bethlehem Fire Department arson K-9 Silver will help, although the captain said there was no immediate indication someone lit the fire -- will be brought in as well, even if it’s just to rule things out, Christopher said.
One thing is clear, Christopher said when asked if it was within consideration that the collapsing bricks sparked the fire.
“Anything is possible until we hear from the fire marshal,” he said.
Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.