By Pamela Sroka-HolzmannThe Express-Times
PHILLIPSBURG, Pa. — Crews battling a blaze at a duplex in Phillipsburg Sunday morning faced “extreme hoarding conditions” when trying to suppress the flames, a fire official said.
Phillipsburg Fire Chief Richard Hay said flames ignited shortly after 7 a.m. at the two-and-a-half story duplex, 349-531 Thomas St. The hoarding conditions were at the 349 Thomas St. side of the structure, he said.
All occupants on both sides of the duplex evacuated safely on their own, Hay said.
Firefighters from all six town companies, as well as Good Will Fire Co. in Belvidere, responded to the general alarm. Good Will Fire Co.’s Rapid Intervention Crew was called in the event a firefighter became entrapped inside while fighting the fire, Hay said. Crews and apparatus from neighboring Alpha and Harmony Township fire companies were at hand to cover secondary Phillipsburg incidents at the time of Sunday’s blaze.
A heavy fire load led to the flames further spreading throughout the 349 Thomas St. side of the duplex, including the attic area, Hay said. It took crews nearly five hours to get the blaze under control, he said. A Phillipsburg Public Works crew additionally assisted in spreading salt as flames were being handled in sub-freezing temperatures, Hay said.
A firefighter was hurt when a large piece of furniture fell on him, and a member of the Phillipsburg Fire Police Unit suffered a medical episode while attempting to direct traffic around the scene. Both were taken to St. Luke’s Hospital-Warren for treatment, where the firefighter has since been released and the fire police member remains admitted, Hay said Wednesday.
In the end, 349 Thomas St. sustained heavy fire damage throughout the home. The 351 Thomas St. side sustained smoke, heat and water damage on the first and second levels. The attic sustained extensive fire damage, Hay said.
Both homes have since been deemed uninhabitable by town fire officials. Three adults are being offered shelter and other assistance by the American Red Cross , Hay said.
The cause of Sunday’s blaze remains unknown. It’s being investigated by the Phillipsburg Police Department and New Jersey Division of Fire Safety .
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