Controlled burn of sheds goes beyond expectations
LANCASTER TWP — Harmony firefighters battled an attempted controlled burn that got out of hand Tuesday night in the township.
At about 6:30 p.m., neighbors and passers-by reported seeing smoke and flame from a structure at 336 Little Creek Road.
Harmony Fire District Chief Scott Goehring said by the time his crews arrived, firefighters found a group of five interconnected, simple sheds built of scrap material, engulfed in flames.
“They (the homeowners) were attempting to remove them from the property,” Goehring said. “They lit one component on fire and it spread rapidly.”
A controlled burn is a fire set intentionally to dispose of materials.
Goehring said as the remainder of the sheds caught fire, the heat melted the siding on the home and garage nearby.
“We extinguished it. It was too big,” Goehring said. “That was definitely not their plan, but that's what happened.”
Goehring said neither the firefighters nor the homeowners were injured.
Lancaster Township police also responded to the scene.
Goehring said he did not believe the homeowners did anything illegal, but if residents want to use fire to burn their property, they should first knock down and break up the structure as much as possible.
He said the material should then be piled up to make the fire easier to control.
Lastly, Goehring said homeowners who want to do a controlled burn should contact their municipality for clarity and warn 911 dispatch to eliminate confusion.
“When you do have a controlled burn of any kind, call 911 and let them know you're doing it, so we know you're doing it,” Goehring said.
Evans City, Portersville, Prospect and Connoquenessing Township fire departments also assisted.
<br />
