News

House Fire with 1 person rescued: On Wednesday, February 15, 2023 at approximately 1218 hours the New Castle Fireboard dispatched fire box 1210 for a residential fire with persons trapped in the 1100 block of Old Forge Road, located in the Meadows at Wilton Community. The box assignment included automatic aid companies from several neighboring fire companies to complete the minimum 4 engines, 2 ladders and 1 rescue assignment. Engine 12 responded with 4 personnel, Tower 12 responded with 5 personnel, Engine 6 responded with 4 personnel all responded on the initial assignment. Deputy 12 was the scheduled duty chief and responded as the incident commander with Chief 12 and retired Assistant Chief Godek. The assignment was upgraded by Fireboard to included EMS assets due to the report of persons trapped, which brought Ambulance B12, A3, county paramedics, mutual aid ambulances and Delaware State Police Trooper 4. A county paramedic supervisor arrived and reported smoke showing. Engine 12 arrived as the first due engine and completed a forward lay from a nearby hydrant, reporting smoke showing from a two story middle of the row townhome. Tower 12 arrived as the first due special service and Engine 6 as the second due engine. Deputy 12 established the “Christiana Command” upon his arrival. Engine 12 stretched an attack line and located a first floor kitchen fire and began to extinguished the fire. Tower 12’s Outside Vent (OV) Firefighter responded to the rear of the townhome with an extension ladder, as outlined in pre-arrival assignments, and located an adult female leaning out of a rear second floor window. Tower 12’s OV was able to set the ground ladder and safely remove the adult female from the residence, and to an awaiting ambulance crew for evaluation. Automatic aid companies arrived and filled their pre-arrival assignments. It was later determined that the adult female was able to safely drop a juvenile from the window to a bystander outside prior to the arrival of fire department resources. The juvenile was evaluated by ambulance crews and transported to AI DuPont Children’s Hospital for evaluation and the female was also subsequently transported to Christiana Hospital for evaluation. Another person involved in the fire was evaluated and refused transport to a hospital. The fire was held to the first floor, all remaining searches were negative and Christiana Command placed the fire under control within a half hour of companies arriving on scene. There were no injuries to any fire crews and the scene was turned over to the Delaware State Fire Marshal’s for investigation. All inquiries pertaining to the fire can be made to their agency.