Overview
- McWane Ductile says portable heating equipment sparked the three-alarm fire at its Phillipsburg, N.J., plant, which was idle, and crews contained it in about 30 minutes as six employees evacuated safely.
- The company said there is no ongoing community threat and that damage estimates were not yet available.
- In Hanover Township, Pa., a three-alarm house fire left the residence uninhabitable as firefighters contended with gear icing, near-instantly freezing water and a snow-buried hydrant.
- Chief Scott VanWhy reported one firefighter injured after slipping on ice and no civilian injuries, and said the cause remains under investigation.
- Departments rotated crews, brought in extra manpower, called Public Works to salt and urged residents to keep at least three feet clear around fire hydrants.