At 07:30 hrs (7:30 am) Station 4 (Malvern) was dispatched along with Station 5, Station 3 (Paoli) for an Engine and Station 2 (Berwyn) for the Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) to the area of Bridge Street and Old Lincoln Highway in Malvern Borough for reports of a house on fire.

Almost immediately the assignment was upgraded to include reports of people trapped. Supplemental information indicated subjects on a roof with local sanitation workers attempting to rescue them with a ladder.

Battalion 4 (J. Vaughn) was first to arrive and reported heavy fire showing but that all occupants had been able to make it out of the house and off of the roof. Chief 4 arrived and assumed Old Lincoln Highway Command and requested the working fire dispatch. The Working Fire Dispatch re-alerted the additional companies and added Air 52 (Goodwill of West Chester FD), Fire Marshals, utilities, and cover companies.

Initial crews from Malvern and East Whiteland arrived on location and began an exterior fire attack due to the level of fire involvement and safety concerns. First arriving firefighters found a two story home of ordinary construction with heavy fire showing on the first and second floor from all sides. Crews went to work fighting the fire with hand lines.

EMS crews on the scene tended to the occupants of the home. The home was occupied by four people at the time of the fire and all were able to escape this fast moving blaze because they were alerted by a smoke detector. All four were transported to local hospitals by Malvern EMS. Unfortunately, several family pets perished in the blaze and the home was heavily damaged.

The fire was placed under control at 08:26 hrs (8:26 am) with all crews working to extinguish remaining hot spots.

The Chester County Fire Marshals Office conducted the investigation and deemed the cause to be accidental.

Pictures from the Malvern Fire Co and the Malvern Patch.