A two-alarm fire tore through two
buildings, both owned by Harrington and Sons of
Emmitsburg, Md., Wednesday morning on the Waynesboro
Pike in Fairfield.
Fire officials said the blaze, located one mile north of
the Pennsylvania/Maryland border on Route 16, did
“severe damage” to the business, but a cause will not be
determined until there is further investigation.
Crews were dispatched to the scene at 10:34 a.m., with
the Vigilant Hose Company of Emmitsburg and Fairfield
Fire Company among the first to arrive. The fire was
under control 45 minutes later, with as many as 120
firefighters from four counties (Adams, Franklin,
Carroll, and Frederick) at the site.
The buildings were used to house machinery that
Harrington and Sons repaired, such as lawnmowers and
snow blowers.
“You could see the black smoke for miles, even on a hazy
and foggy day,” said Wayne Powell, public information
office for the Vigilant Hose Company of Emmitsburg. “The
fire started in the rear building and when we got here
it was impinging on the front structure. It got under
the overhang and just ripped through from there.”
Because the business involved working and cleaning
motors of all kinds, firefighters were concerned that
the solvents used in cleaning the equipment could cause
a dangerous situation.
“There was a lot of gasoline and propane in the area and
we wanted to keep the fire from spreading to a house out
behind the business,” Powell added. “We did that, but
there will be extensive cleanup and a follow up
investigation to come. We won’t really have any idea
what started it until we get in there. The Adams County
fire marshal will be taking a look at it and I presume
the state police marshal will be as well.”
As of 1 p.m., Powell said only one firefighter was being
treated for smoke inhalation.
Aside from the gasoline, another concern for crews was
the lack of water near the fire scene. Tankers were
forced to shuttle water from a pond almost a mile from
the business.
“It was a steady stream,” Powell said. “They would come
back here, dump the water off and go back to get more.
The fire was burning with great intensity so our goal
was to contain it, preserve all evidence and make sure
nobody got injured. There were naturally going to be
some heat issues with the temperature like it was, but
for the most part, everyone stayed hydrated.”
Both buildings were constructed within the last 20
years. Powell did not know the extent of what was lost
in the fire, but called it “very significant.”
“This would have been the peak of their repair season
with lawnmowers and that type of thing,” he said. “I
can’t say for sure, but they probably had hundreds of
customers’ equipment in there. There is no good time for
it to happen, but it hits them hard right now.”
Numerous area fire companies assisted on the scene.
Phone 301-447-2728 / Emergency Dial 911
