Incident report from Brian D. Enterline
Photos by Shane Heck
A heavy fire engulfed an historic outdoor market in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on the morning of July 10, 2023.
The Bureau of Fire was dispatched to the Broad Street Market for fire from a building at 0057 hours. Dauphin County Communications immediately upgraded to a first alarm due to a high volume of calls reporting fire through the roof. Harrisburg City’s apparatus Ladder 2 and Wagon 3 were the first units to arrive on the scene at 0100 to find fire through the top and rapidly extend through the entire market building.
The Battalion TV: Harrisburg (PA) Bureau of Fire
This historic outdoor market building is a brick market house built in several sections. It is 380 feet long by 60 feet wide. The building was constructed in 1860 and had an open floor plan with a wooden lantern roof that was used to allow light into the building before the use of electricity. It was this wooden roof structure and the clear spans that allowed the fire to rapidly consume the roof structure.
Units began a defensive operation in the easternmost part of the building, while also initiating an interior attack with large-caliber hoselines and step guns on the western section of the building. The combined efforts of the truck companies and the engine crews stopped the fire from extending into a significant portion of the building. The bulk of the fire was knocked down in 45 minutes with control of the fire being declared at 0247 hours.
The fire ultimately went to a second alarm, bringing mutual aid companies from around the Harrisburg region. On-scene units included eight engine companies, six truck companies, two rescue companies, two rapid intervention team companies, and one drone.
Brian D. Enterline is fire chief for the Harrisburg (PA) Bureau of Fire.
More of Shane’s photos at www.sh2photos.com.
