Pine Mountain Georgia Fire Department News

January 11, 2010
Firefighters Battle Ice to Fight Structure Fire

On the night of Sunday, January 9, Pine Mountain firefighters joined Hamilton firefighters and had to contend with severe icing problems while battling a structure fire along the mountain ridge.

Firefighters from Hamilton and Pine Mountain were dispatched to 15123 US Hwy. 27 South about 11:15 p.m. and temperatures in the teens resulted in frozen hoses, sheets of ice around the fire apparatus, ice on the air packs, and miserable conditions.

The Harris County 911 Center advised the roof of the house was burning in addition to an area around a fire place.

Pine Mountain Engine 1202 was the first to leave station followed by Quint 1201. Squad 12 responded with the Pine Mountain air trailer.

Firefighters arrived on the scene of the single-story house, and began an aggressive interior attack on the fire.

With no room to get fire apparatus off the highway, the southbound lane of US Hwy. 27 was closed and used for staging fire apparatus. Deputies from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office staged on the highway to protect firefighters from vehicular traffic.

With no fire hydrants in the area, the Pine Mountain Valley Fire Department was requested to provide tanker support for the firefighting operation.

Despite the weather conditions, firefighters quickly brought the fire under control, but extinguishing the fire involved another issue.

A metal roof had been added to the house and placed on top of an existing shingle roof, and the fire had gotten into the area between the old shingle roof and the new metal roof.

Firefighters had to force their way into that area to gain access to the remaining fire, which was then extinguished.

Other than bruises to firefighters from slipping and falling on the ice, there were no injuries in connection with the fire.

The Georgia Department of Transportation was summoned to the scene, and after firefighting efforts were concluded, salt and sand were spread on the ice.

The end of the house initially involved in the fire suffered moderate damage

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