Photo by Steven McDole
CLEARFIELD – Area firefighters were given much praise by the Lawrence Township board of supervisors Tuesday night for their response to a three-alarm commercial building fire.
The fire was reported at approximately 2 a.m. Tuesday at Cuetara-Hile Memorial & Monument Center, located at 1315 Riverview Rd., Clearfield, according to a previously-published report.
The first-arriving units were reportedly on-scene within minutes and encountered a large working fire with flames showing and immediately requested a second alarm.
A third alarm was requested further into the incident.
Per scanner transmissions, there were reports of the roof collapsing, causing firefighters to fight on the defensive, and also of explosions heard inside the structure.
It was noted that the fire possibly started approximately an hour to an hour-and-a-half before being observed and called in to local authorities.
Fire crews operated on-scene for over six hours.
The supervisors said numerous fire departments from Clearfield County and even beyond responded to help extinguish the blaze, or to provide standby service in the event of another fire incident.
The fire was one of the most devastating and dangerous for the Clearfield area in decades, they said, emphasizing how the response kept the fire contained to one building.
Though other structures were at-risk, there were no reports of damage or serious injuries, the supervisors said.
The supervisors met with several local fire companies recently and Tuesday they were able to unite on the three-alarm fire call, said Supervisor Scott Way. “All the companies worked cohesively.”
And, Way hopes it continues moving forward.
The next scheduled meeting for the supervisors will be on Oct. 15, beginning at 4:30 p.m.