Smoke Scare From An Unusual Source
 
By Member Michael McCarthy
July 18, 2014
 

On Friday, July 18th, The WCFD (First WC, and Fame) were dispatched to Whitetail Ln in Birmingham Township (Chester Co.) to investigate a possible house fire. The caller stated she had smoke filling the house from an unknown source. Engine 51-1, (First WC), and Ladder 53 arrived and began to search the house to find the source of the smoke. Crews isolated the source to the second floor of the house, and found smoke coming from a snake cage. It appeared that the heat lamp in the cgae overheated, and began to melt the decorations in the cage, and smoldered the saw dust on the bottom. Crews removed the cage, and took it outside.

The pictures below show our "hero" Lt. Mark Scanlon making the "daring" rescue of the snake from immenent danger. Once the "resident" of the cage was removed, the small fire was extinguished. The snake was not harmed, and was quickly (yes, quickly) turned back over to the resident of the house. Crews ventilated the house, and were in service for about 20 minutes.

 
Units: Ladder 53, Engine 53, Engine 51-1, Engine 51-2, Amb. 55