November 27, 2001
Another of Vernon Central's big 2001 calls
was a fire at Ernst Crown Vetch Farms. It
started off difficult enough with the day being
right in the middle of deer hunting season.
This left us with limited manpower. Once on
scene, another complication arose:
pesticides and herbicides. These were
mostly housed in 25 cu ft bags, stacked inside
the primary fire structure. The products
looked like blown-in insulation but burned like
hay. This quickly became a HazMat fire. Not
only did we have a full first run assignment
there, we also used members of the county
HazMat Team. Further hindering the
situation was a rural setting in which we
needed to lay dual LDH lines from a nearby
creek, French Creek. Once it was determined
that using water wasn't a big problem, the
deluge was on. Hand lines, master streams
and aerials were used to extinguish the blaze.
While crews attacked the fire, other
personnel were creating and tending to a
collection pond catching all of the runoff.
No injuries were reported that day and almost
a dozen departments were at the scene.
Some equipment had to be quarantined
mid-way through due to contamination and
the lack of immediate information on the
substances. All units and personnel returned
to service without incident.
Ernst Farm Fire - 2001
Ernst Farm Fire - November 27, 2001
