5-Alarm Fire in Downingtown

Yesterday was a lost day for me, courtesy of a major fire early yesterday morning in neighboring Downingtown. In my past year and a half with the fire company, the two major fires I responded on were in Downingtown. This one which went to five alarms was by far the larger. I participated both in the protection of the water supply companies who were stretching lines in from the north of the fire, as well as pumping water from a large pond, and in crowd control south of the fire building. As a fire cop, I am usually blocks if not miles away from the scene, keeping traffic away. Last night, I was literally on the fire line, keeping onlookers out of the way of our firefighters. It never ceases to amaze me how stupid some people are, literally walking into harms' way. We also had several incidents of people attempting to drive over multiple charged water lines, going through the barracades and cones we had set up. The local police took the appropriate action towards those folks. Sixteen companies assisted Downingtown in the effort, along with a Fire Police Task Force from all the surrounding areas. I finally got back to the station around 7:30 am and then came home and collapsed for the rest of the day. On a fun note, tonight is the first of the Summer Concert Series in Albert C. Miller Park (link to Google Maps). Appearing tonight are the US Navy Commodores, the Navy Band's Jazz Ensemble. The concert begins are 6:30 pm and the weather looks like it will be cooperating this evening. So, bring a blanket, a picnic supper, and enjoy the music. We'll be providing traffic and parking control throughout the series. You can download the full concert schedule (a pdf file) from the township web site. Historical trivia note - the park is named after a former fire chief of our company.