Teamwork and cooperation among fire crews from five counties were credited with stopping a million-dollar fire from being even more devastating as flames overnight Jan. 3 into Jan. 4, destroyed a large portion of the shipping and prep area at the Dan Schantz Greenhouse complex along Spinnerstown Road in Lower Milford Township.

“It was gratifying to see the firefighter teamwork displayed as fire engines and aerial ladder trucks, along with numerous water tankers, from fire stations in Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks and Montgomery counties responded to our call for mutual aid,” Lower Milford Fire Department first assistant chief Gary Focht, who served as chief operations officer for two days of fire operations, said.

Lower Milford Fire Chief Richard DeFiore Jr., who was command officer for the incident, was on the first engine to respond to the fire, which was reported about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday evening. DeFiore called for a second alarm while enroute to the fire as the Lehigh County 911 Center reported numerous calls for a working structure fire.

Upon arriving and seeing the fire was extensive and had a big head start, DeFiore called for a third alarm as his engine was entering the property. The third alarm brought crews and tanker trucks from the five counties to provide water and firefighting manpower in the rural area where the complex is located.

Portable water ponds were set up remotely from the complex, with tankers constantly coming in relays to keep the water supply sufficient. An engine at the pond pumped water through two 1,500-foot five-inch supply lines to the fire scene.

Firefighters from Alburtis, Catasauqua, Cetronia, Coopersburg, Eastern Salisbury, Emmaus and Fogelsville fought the fire until it was finally brought under control about 3:45 a.m. Jan. 4. Other Lower Milford firefighters responded from the Vera Cruz and Old Zionsville stations.

One firefighter, who was among those first on the scene, described what he saw as “our worst nightmare.”

But, because Lower Milford firefighters had drilled and trained at the scene over the years, they were familiar with the complex of buildings and greenhouses and had game-planned their response well ahead of the real thing.

Focht said the strategy by those first on the scene was to prevent extension of the fire and to protect the greenhouses surrounding the building that was burning.

Because the fire had such an extensive head start, Focht said there was only limited interior firefighting options. “It was pretty much a defensive operation from the beginning,” Focht said.

Rapid Intervention teams from Emmaus, Pennsburg and Hanover Township responded to provide protection for any firefighters who might have gotten into jeopardy. RIT crews have no responsibility for fighting the fire. Their sole purpose is for firefighter rescue.

John Kalynych, team leader for Lehigh County Special Operations group was on hand in case firefighters had any concerns about hazards posed by agricultural chemicals at the site. “Additionally,” Focht said, “Kalynych brings his familiarity with a host of county, state and federal resources that might be needed in an operation of this nature.”

While most firefighting crews were able to clear the scene early Wednesday morning, aerial ladder units from Western Salisbury Volunteer Fire Department, and Fountain Hill Fire Department, and a pumper from Catasauqua Fire Department were dispatched for a fire watch as heavy equipment was brought in to begin sorting through the steel girders and metal roofing that was all that remained of the building.

The aerial ladders sprayed water on the debris field all day as the heavy equipment uncovered hotspots as crews piled debris for later removal.

On Wednesday, 15 tanker trucks from the Aqua Duck water service, each carrying about 6,500 gallons of water, provided a constant relay to keep the aerial ladders supplied as they watered down the hot spots. Aqua Duck tankers are most frequently used to supply water for residential and community swimming pools.

All told, Focht estimated between 500,000 gallons and a million gallons of water were required for the firefighting effort and its aftermath.

Over night, food and drink was supplied to the firefighters from the North Penn Goodwill Service mobile canteen. Headquartered in Souderton, the canteen responds to large incidents involving first responders throughout the region.

Additionally, food and beverages were supplied by the nearby Spinnerstown Hotel and from the Wawa, located a few miles away along Route 663 near the Pennsylvania Turnpike Northeast Extension interchange.

Ambulance crews from Macungie and Upper Saucon Township provided EMS and rehab service at the scene for firefighters. Rehab services include making sure the firefighters stay hydrated and their vital signs are monitored.

“Gratefully, none of our firefighting personnel were injured during this incident,” Focht said.