Around 3:07 a.m. on Monday morning, June 21, 2021, Adams County dispatch struck box 33-304 on the 4300 block of Hanover Road, route 116, in Mount Pleasant Township for a report of a barn fire. Chief 33 went responding soon after, reporting a orange glow in the sky from several miles out, and striking the working fire dispatch. Units arrived to find both a 75x75 foot barn along with an adjacent 50x100 foot hay barn both fully engulfed in flames. Command immediately requested the second alarm alongside additional tankers. Crews from engine 33-3 and Tanker 29 began initial suppression efforts, putting multiple lines in service off of Engine 33-3. Truck 79 arrived and set up for aerial master stream operations. Crews attempted to set up a fill site at the property's pond, but were hampered by thick pond scum while drafting. A primary fill site was set up at the intersection of Hanover Road and Bender Road, from a fire hydrant, and tankers shuttled tens of thousands of gallons of water to the scene. Crews worked for over four hours Monday morning, focusing on breaking up the barns and dousing as much fire as possible, with the expectation that the hay and straw will burn for days. No injuries were reported to humans or animals, with all animals having been in the pasture instead of the barn at the time of the fire. The damage was estimated at over $100,000. The fire marshal was notified about the fire, but was not responding to the scene as the fire is not deemed as suspicious. The fire appeared to have begun in the 75x75 foot barn and spread to the 50x100 foot barn. The 50x100 barn contained 9000 small bales of hay owned by a renter, and the 75x75 foot barn also primarily contained straw and hay. Assisting United Hook & Ladder on the box included Southeastern Adams County Volunteer Emergency Services, Hanover Area Fire & Rescue, Adams Regional EMS, Alpha Fire Company of Littlestown, Harney Volunteer Fire Company, Gettysburg Fire Department, Irishtown Fire Company, Barlow Volunteer Fire Company, Heidlersburg Volunteer Fire Company, Cashtown Community Fire Department, Arendtsville Community Fire Company, Greenmount Community Fire Company, Biglerville Hose And Truck Company, Pleasant Hill Volunteer Fire Company, Northeast Adams Fire & EMS, Vigilant Hose Company of Emmitsburg, and Taneytown Volunteer Fire Company.
Neighbors Kevin and Kim Costella, owners of K&K concessions, brought their food truck to the scene to serve hot egg sandwiches, coffee, water, iced tea, and other snacks to the exhausted firefighters who had been working most of the morning. They were assisted by fellow neighbor Diane Dickensheets, who used a golf cart to deliver water to firemen at work surrounding the fire.
United Hook & Ladder Chief Steve Rabine asked the public to hold off on calling 911 if they see smoke and fire in the barn unless it is impinging on a structure, as the property owners will be monitoring it closely and will call if the fire begins to spread. This is to prevent Adams County 911 from being overwhelmed with multiple calls for the fire, as recently occurred with the Hershey Heights fire that had burned for days.
