YHFD Goes To Work at 2nd Alarm Fire on Wildwood St

On Sunday, November 24th at 11:22hrs Lake Mohegan FD units were dispatched to an address on Wildwood St for a reported House Fire with multiple calls being received. As LMFD units were responding the 10-75 (Working Fire) was transmitted as a large column of smoke was already visible from a distance and reports were received of possible occupants trapped. This brought the YHFD with Rescue 16 as the FASTeam to the scene along with other mutual aid units. YHFD units were already operating at incidents in our own first due response area that were a result of the extremely windy and cold weather. Car 2532, Car 2533, and Rescue Co. 16 with a full crew of FAST qualified members responded almost immediately after dispatch. LMFD units arrived to find a 2 story wood frame private dwelling with heavy wind driven fire conditions throughout and fire threatening nearby exposures and reported that the two trapped occupants had been already rescued by the heroic actions of neighbors and good Samaritans. C-2532, C-2533, and Rescue Co. 16 arrived on scene shortly after the first due LMFD units and was immediately put to work by "Mohegan Command" as the 2nd Alarm was transmitted. The crew of R-16 operated multiple hand lines and master streams on the fire-ground and assisted the investigators once the bulk of fire was knocked down. Crews were hampered by extremely high winds and bitter cold that pushed heavy black smoke and embers into the firefighters operating that created near black out conditions outside the structure and ignited spot fires throughout the neighborhood. The extreme cold made made everything more difficult, as everything got wet, it froze; not only making for icy roads and areas around the scene, but gear and the firefighters themselves also froze. Units on scene were able to contain the fire to the original fire building with some damage to neighboring houses, unfortunately the fire building was a total lose as well as the passing of the families four dogs. Other YHFD crews remained in district that handled various runs unit Car 2532, Car 2533, and Rescue Co. 16 were released from the scene at 16:10 hrs.