Thursday July, 12 2012 @ 04:01:13

Nature: Structure Fire – Brush Truck Assist Station #70

Address: 25 Heather Ln Bethany Beach, DE 19930

Early Thursday morning, July 12th, the Indian River Volunteer Fire Company was alerted for a brush truck assist the Bethany Beach Volunteer Fire Company (70) with a working structure fire in the Bethany Dunes ocean front community.

Emergency response units from Indian River included: brush truck #80-00, Utility 80-8, and Polaris 80 from the Oak Orchard facility with brush truck #80-0 and Engine #80-3 from the Long Neck facility. The brush and utility trucks responded directly to the scene and Engine #80-3 provided a stand-by cover up assignment.

While traveling to the incident, brush truck #80-00 sustained a left rear tire blow-out on the Indian River Inlet Bridge and was disabled for the remainder to the incident. Their respective crew was assigned to passing apparatus from Indian River leaving the apparatus driver and a designed fire police officer to await Bunting’s for towing. There were no injuries associated with the tire failure incident.

Brush #80-0 was assigned to a manpower pool for additional operating assignments. Utility 80-8 and Polaris 80 were assigned to enter the beach front area via 3Rs Beach Crossing on the southern side of the Indian River Inlet and travel to the incident location. The specific assignment was to assist Bethany Beach’s brush unit with fire suppression of the dune brush and trees, if needed.

Illustrated herewith are various related news articles and stories of the incident.

• Bethany Beach Volunteer Fire Company’s website

http://www.bethanybeachfire.com/gallery.cfm?id=401&ss=1

MULTIPLE ALARM BEACH HOUSE FIRE - 31002 Heather Lane Bethany Dunes

At 0325 hours Stations 70 (Bethany Beach),84 (Millville),90 (Roxana),76 (Frankford) and Sussex County Paramedic 1Unit #105 where dispatched to a reported working structure fire.

Multiple calls where received to the 911 center reporting the structure well involved.

Unit 70-8 responding with Chief Brian Martin arrived to find a 3 story beach house fully involved with exposures involved on sides B and D and an exposure on the A side threatened.

Three 5”supply lines where laid providing water resources both Quints and Tower 70 as well as multiple hand lines.

The fire was brought under control at 06:00 hours with heavy equipment being brought in to assist in final extinguishment.

Additional mutual aid company assistance was received from 86 (Rehoboth Beach), 73 (Dagsboro), 79 (Gumboro), Bishopville, MD, Showell, MD, Ocean City, MD., 88 (Selbyville), 82 (Lewes), 80 (Indian River), and 83 (Millsboro). Many other departments provided stand-by coverage for units on the fire scene.

Both this fire and one at the same residence at 2034 on 7/11/12 are under investigation by the Delaware State Fire Marshall.  

• The News-Journal – Thursday, July 12, 2012

http://www.delawareonline.com/

http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20120712/NEWS01/120712009/Fire-destroys-home-damages-two-others-near-Bethany?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CLocal%7Cp&nclick_check=1

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=BL&Dato=20120712&Kategori=PHOTOS01&Lopenr=207120802&Ref=PH&nclick_check=1

Fire destroys home, damages two others near Bethany

At least a hundred firefighters battled a three-alarm fire early this morning that destroyed a home and damaged two others in the Bethany Dunes development, an official said.

Crews rushed out to a single family home at 31002 Heather Lane at about 3:25 this morning and found the building fully engulfed in flames, said Joe Hopple, a spokesman for the Bethany Beach Fire Company.

Also, both homes on either side of the building were on fire and blowing embers were also a risk to other homes in the development, Hopple said.

Firefighters from as far Lewes, Millsboro and Ocean City, Md. were on the scene and battled the fire for two and a half hours before placing it under control at about 6 a.m., Hopple said.

Fire crews were still on the scene as of 7:30 a.m. putting out hotspots, Hopple said.

No injuries were reported, Hopple said. The family that resided at the home was accounted for and not in the building when fire crews first arrived, Hopple said.

The home collapsed and is destroyed, Hopple said. The adjacent homes are structurally sound but sustained significant damage, Hopple said. Monetary damages to the homes were not readily available.

Coincidentally, fire crews were called out to the same location several hours earlier, Hopple said.

Crews extinguished an outdoor fire on the property that was first reported at 8:30 p.m., Hopple said.

The fires in the 3100 block were reported at 25 and 27 Heather Lane in the Sussex fires log, but officials say the addresses on the street have recently been restructured.

The State Fire Marshal's Office, who is investigating both fires, will determine if the two fires are connected at all, Hopple said. 

• WBOC TV

http://www.wboc.com/story/19007657/family-ok-after-two-fires-at-their-home

Family Ok After 2 Fires at Bethany Beach Home

BETHANY BEACH, Del. - A Bethany Beach family is OK but their house was left destroyed Thursday morning following two separate overnight fires that broke out at the structure.

Bethany Beach Fire Company Public Information Office Joe Hopple said the first fire happened around 9 p.m. Wednesday at a house on Heather Lane. According to Hopple, firefighters arrived, put out a small fire and left the scene.

Hopple said that at around 4 a.m. Thursday, the fire company received a second call about another fire at the same home. Multiple fire companies from eastern Sussex County responded to the second fire blaze.

According to Hopple, the fire spread into nearby woods as well. As of the time of writing, Hopple said the fire was contained, but the home was left in ruins. He added that two adjacent homes were also damaged in the fire. Hopple said the family was not in the home when the second fire broke out.

The cause of the fires is still under investigation.

• WGMD Radio 92.7

http://www.wgmd.com/?p=63194

BREAKING: Firefighters on Scene of House Fire North Of Bethany

UPDATED 6:25 AM: Witnesses are telling WGMD that the house which caught fire this morning is still smoldering, and there’s a heavy smell of smoke and burning wood in the area. One witness says the house is in the Bethany Dunes development. Several fire trucks are on Route 1 North, which has reduced traffic down to one lane going towards the Indian River Inlet Bridge.

ORIGINAL STORY

Firefighters from Bethany Beach, Millville, Georgetown and Indian River are on the scene of a house fire just north of Bethany Beach.

The Millville Fire Company received a call for a structure fire on Heather Lane near the beach just before 3:30 this morning. We have no word yet on if there are any injuries. Stay tuned to WGMD and WGMD.com for updates as they become available.

• The News-Journal – Friday, July 13, 2012

http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20120713/NEWS/307130032/Fire-causes-multi-million-dollar-damage-beach-homes?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CLocal&nclick_check=1

Fire causes 'multi-million-dollar damage' to beach homes

Ocean breeze spreads fire in two oceanside developments north of Bethany

A pre-dawn blaze Thursday destroyed one beach house and damaged three others near Bethany Beach, causing “multi-million-dollar damage,” fire officials said.

More than 100 firefighters from eight companies fought the fire that began in one oceanside development, Bethany Dunes, and – fueled by an ocean breeze – spread to the next one, Sea-Del, said Chief Deputy Fire Marshal Randy Lee.

The cause of the fire, reported by a neighbor of the destroyed home where it began, remains under investigation, Lee said. A man and three teenage boys escaped that house unhurt, he said. The other homes were vacant.

Houses on both sides of the home where the fire began, one in Bethany Dunes and one in Sea-Del, had severe fire damage, Lee said. A second Sea-Del home had less damage, he said. The total loss has not been estimated.

The severely damaged Bethany Dunes home recently had been listed for sale at $4 million, but was just taken off the market, Lee said. All four houses affected by the fire appeared to be about “a couple million apiece,” he said.

Because of the value of the homes, all three stories on pilings, Lee said the Office of the State Fire Marshal’s “investigation will be extensive.”

The Heather Lane home where the fire began was engulfed in flames when the firefighters arrived from Bethany Beach Fire Company, spokesman Joe Hopple said. Crews from Millville, Roxana, Frankford, Rehoboth Beach, Indian River and Ocean City, Md., companies helped battle the three-alarm blaze.

The ocean breeze was blamed for “moving the fire” from the first home to others, Lee said.

Hopple said the fire was brought under control about 6 a.m. Crews remained on the scene to put out hotspots where flames flared.

Firefighters also went to that home about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday and extinguished an outdoor fire, Hopple said.

Authorities have not determined if that smaller fire was related to the morning blaze.

The fires in the 3100 block of Heather Lane in Bethany Dunes were initially reported at 25 and 27 Heather Lane in the Sussex County fires log, but officials say the addresses on the street have recently been restructured.