
Relay From Lake Battles School Fire
Pumper relays played a vital role in battling an incendiary fire that swept through a school in Harveys Lake, Pa.
The fire at the Lake Elementary School was reported at 6:02 a.m. last February 24, a Saturday. Several Harveys Lake Fire Department officers and men were still at the station after returning from a four-hour fire that destroyed a summer cottage. Therefore, the initial response was within four minutes.
Harveys Lake Engine 25, the first unit to arrive, reported flames through the roof of the two-story, wood frame and cement block structure. What followed was a coordinated attack involving 11 companies and over 150 volunteer fire fighters.
From 1:30 to 5:30 that morning the Harveys Lake Company had fought a fire that destroyed a large, two-story, wood frame summer cottage and damaged an adjoining residence. This fire was also through the roof upon arrival of the Lake’s first-in engine.
Sprinklers not in operation
The Lake Elementary School, about a quarter of a mile from the lake, was built in the early 1920s and was scheduled to be replaced or remodeled. There was currently an intense political issue concerning what to do with the school. It housed kindergarten through fifth grades. Although sprinklers had been installed recently, they were not yet in operation.
Harveys Lake is a natural lake in northeastern Pennsylvania as well as a borough of 1000 residents. The population increases during the summer months to over 5000. The main road around the shoreline is 9 miles long. The school is on a hilltop on a secondary road that connects to the main lake road. To the rear of the school is a stream whose size varies according to the time of the year. To the west of the school is a fairly large pond which is about an eighth of a mile from the school.
When Harveys Lake Engine 25 arrived, initial size-up indicated the need for immediate mutual aid. The stream at the rear of the school was not high enough and was under snow and ice. Therefore it could not supply an engine at draft. Harveys Lake Engine 24 and Tank Truck 27 began attacking the fire at the front of the building with two 2 1/2-inch lines.
The third-in company, Kunkle, attacked on the east side of the building with Engines 34 and 35.
With this initial attack in progress, Harveys Lake Engine 25 set up to draft at the pond with two 2 1/2-inch lines out to the road. It was now 6:20 a.m.
At this time, Ladder Truck 1 was summoned from Kingston, Pa. This 100-foot elevating platform responded from some 16 miles away and, because of the narrow winding road around the lake, took approximately 25 minutes to arrive. By this time, two pumper relays were set up. From the lake, which had 14 inches of ice, Dallas Engine 6 pumped uphill 1650 feet to Dallas Engine 5, which in turn pumped 600 feet to Kunkle Engine 35. That engine then supplied Ladder 1 with four 2½-inch lines. This entire relay was accomplished with three separate lines. To the west of the school, Lake Engine 25 relayed to Lehman Engine 84, which relayed to Lake Engine 24. This was done with parallel 2 1/2-inch lines for a distance of 1500 feet.
In the rear of the school, the Idetown Company was using two portable pumps from the stream into Engine 74. With this supply, they were able to use two 2 1/2-inch and two 1½-inch hand lines on the fire.
Aerial stream used
On the east side of the building, in addition to the elevating platform which was pouring 1000 gpm from its monitor, three 2 1/2-inch hand lines were in use. To the west, four 2 1/2-inch hand lines were working. At no time were any fire fighters directed into the building because of the intense heat and flames. By now it was 7:30 a.m.



Companies from Noxen, Lake Silkworth, Shavertown, Trucksville, Luzerne and Edwardsville provided additional manpower and much-needed 2½-inch hose.
During the initial size-up, a rear door to the school was found open and the adjacent window broken. The apparent forced entry was sufficient cause to request assistance from the Pennsylvania State Police fire marshal’s office at the Wyoming Barracks. An investigator was at the scene within 30 minutes.
By late morning, the fire was under control and by 1:30 p.m., it was declared out. Lake Engine 25 and Truck 27, wit h additional manpower, stayed on the scene the remainder of the day and night to wet down the remains.
Coordinated mutual aid
The strategy used in combating the seven-hour ordeal was that of a well-coordinated mutual aid evolution among 11 neighboring companies. Portable radios were used by chief officers, and pump operators depended on pumppanel mikes to maintain constant communication, especially for the relay pumping.
The extensive relay pumping was hampered by the lack of large-diameter hose. Age-old reliance on 2½-inch hose for supply lines is no longer practical. It is now apparent what 4-inch hose could have done to have kept the ladder truck supplied.
From the time the state police fire marshal arrived on the scene, an intense investigation was conducted by state as well as local police and fire officials. As a result of evidence recovered at the scene and information received, three suspects were arrested and charged with burglary and arson at both Lake Elementary School and the summer cottage that was destroyed prior to the school fire.