NEW CASTLE, DELAWARE (1/31/2019) Seven firefighters were injured this morning as they battled a house fire near New Castle in bitter cold, authorities said.
The fire was reported at 6:20 a.m. in the first block of Bunker Hill Road, in the Penn Acres development. Three occupants of the home were able to escape before firefighters arrived.
Smoke and flames were coming from the home when firefighters from Good Will Fire Company arrived, said Robert Fox, chief deputy state fire marshal. Twelve additional fire companies were called in to assist.
According to a news release from Good Will Fire Company, “As they continued to fight both the fire and the brutal cold, several firefighters encountered difficulty in the structure and a mayday was called to assist them out of the structure. The other units on scene were able to quickly evacuate them from the situation they were in and return them to safety. “
Firefighters continued to battle the blaze from outside and it was declared under control at 8:48 a.m.
Four of the injured firefighters were taken to hospitals, but the fire company described their injuries as minor.
Good Will Fire Chief J David Majewski Jr. said, “All of the responders today were facing very difficult situations between the heavy fire in the structure and the brutal cold outside. They all worked hard to get this fire under control.
“ We are also grateful to all of our neighboring departments and agencies who braved this bone chilling cold to come help us control this fire this morning.”
Fox said the origin and cause of the fire remains under investigation.
He said damage to the home was estimated at $200,000.
Air temperature was 6 degrees when the fire began, according to National Weather Service data at New Castle Airport.