Fire update

There are very few places in Columbia, where there isn’t a fire hydrant on almost every street corner.

There are exceptions to every rule, however.

One of those exceptions is if fires break out on the far reaches of the borough where there isn’t a hydrant on every street corner.
One of those areas is the eastern end of the borough, which borders West Hempfield Township.

Thursday, firemen found out just how critical it is to have a hydrant on every corner as fire destroyed 10 garage bays on Deascenti Drive at Franklin Road, just inside the borough limits.

Since there wasn’t a hydrant on every corner, first-arriving firemen had water trouble trying to extinguish the blaze. Because the nearest hydrant was more than a mile away from the fire scene, a large number of tankers from fire departments in Lancaster County had to be called in and relays set-up to attack the fire.
Monday, Columbia Fire Chief Charles Anderson said while reviewing the incident because of the lack of hydrants in the area, three extra tankers will be added to anymore responses in the area.

For more, along with a page of pics, read this week's Columbia Ledger.