7/4/10 - Leslie duplex fire, 414 Pennsylvania

The Independence Day celebrations of many volunteer firefighters and their families were put on hold when 6 volunteer fire departments responded to battle this duplex fire at 414 Pennsylvania St in Leslie on Sunday, July 4, 2010. The Leslie Fire Department was dispatched at 3:38 PM to a report from a resident that they could see and smell smoke inside the residence but did not see flames and did not know what was burning. First arriving command reported smoke visible from the 2nd floor, and advised dispatch this was a confirmed structure fire. Reports from interior crews and observations from the outside revealed a hidden fire in the walls and attic of an old balloon frame construction home. Heat and high humidity played a factor in the battle, and more departments were called in to assist. At one point command ordered all personnel out of the building as flames breached the roof. An interior attack was resumed shortly afterward when the visible fire was again knocked down. Nearby hydrants supplied engines on the "A" side of the building, but water pressure was low. Two tankers shuttled water from a hydrant a block away on Doty St to supply an engine & an aerial on the "B" and "C" sides. The Leslie Fire Department requested mutual aid from the Onondaga Twp, Mason, Dansville, Delhi Twp and Rives-Tompkins Twp Fire Departments. The Lansing-Mason Area Ambulance Service stood by for rehab and the Ingham County Sheriff Rescue Squad provided air pack refills on the scene. The American Red Cross responded to assist the displaced residents. It took approximately 3 hours to bring this fire under control.