A fire late in the evening Feb. 17 caused extensive damage to a Mountain Park Road home in the eastern portion of Salisbury Township requiring a family to seek shelter elsewhere. The home, located at 207 Mountain Park Road, is about a half-mile east of Route 145, South Pike Ave.

Eastern Salisbury Fire Chief David Tomcics was first on the scene. Upon arriving he saw heavy smoke coming from the eaves and roof of the home, and radioed the Lehigh County 911 Center to sound a second alarm to assist ESFD and Western Salisbury Fire Department, which was dispatched with ESFD.

Se-Wy-Co Fire Department, Northampton County, was called to assist, as were fire departments from Upper Saucon, Vera Cruz and Lower Milford for pumpers and manpower. Emmaus Fire Department sent manpower and a rapid intervention team to assist should any firefighters get into trouble.

A tanker truck task force was dispatched and staged in a parking area along South Pike Avenue. Because Mountain Park Road was too narrow to accommodate them at the fire scene, a portable "pond" was set up for tankers to feed with a water supply and a hose was set up the length of the hill and engines helped maintain pressure for the water supply.

Nancy Run Fire Department assisted with a cascade unit to replenish firefighter's air tanks. An all-terrain vehicle shuttled manpower, air tanks and other equipment the half-mile from South Pike Avenue to the fire scene.

Tomcics said an ESFD crew forced open the front door on arrival at the home which was unoccupied at the time the fire broke out and the crew encountered heavy smoke and fire throughout the home. The fire was believed to have started in the kitchen area. The fire was brought under control in about an hour Tomcics said.

Fire crews were on the scene until early morning for clean-up and to assist with equipment iced up in the below-freezing temperatures.

The Salisbury Public Works Department provided salting equipment and assisted with frozen hose needing to be transported back to the fire stations to thaw and be rolled.

Salisbury and Se-Wy-Co fire police controlled traffic and Salisbury Police assisted at the fire scene.

St. Luke's Ambulance provided EMS and rehabilitation services at the scene. Tomcics and Western Salisbury Fire Chief Joshua Wells sustained minor cuts during the firefighting effort.