Firefighters from Salisbury and several area mutual aid fire departments were called to an Edgemont Drive residence, in the western portion of the township April 4, to battle a smoky fire that badly damaged the home, leaving it uninhabitable.

Western Salisbury Volunteer Fire Company Chief Joshua Wells arrived moments after the dispatch from the Lehigh County 911 Center at 4:17 p.m. He found heavy smoke pouring from a residence at 2905 Edgemont Drive. Wells immediately declared a “working fire,” calling for additional firefighting equipment and manpower from surrounding mutual aid fire companies.

Firefighters on a first-arriving engine from WSVFC pulled a hose line into the residence for an interior attack on the fire, which was centered in the attic and second floor. Firefighters from South Whitehall Fire Department’s Cetronia Station arrived with an aerial ladder truck and began an exterior attack in the roof area of the home.

Salisbury Township Patrol Officer Michael Palansky helped pull a water supply hose line from the WSVFC engine to a distant hydrant to supplement the engine’s onboard water supply.

Interior firefighters worked in high heat conditions in the home with their full protective gear and self-contained breathing tanks. The toll of their labors was evident as first-arriving crews yielded to fresh manpower.

An ambulance crew from Cetronia Ambulance Corps was on hand to provide any needed first aid, to provide cold energy drinks and snacks and to monitor firefighter’s vital signs.

Wells commended the Salisbury and mutual aid crews who helped battle the fire. “The teamwork displayed was terrific,” Wells said. “Unfortunately the fire left substantial damage to the home, leaving it uninhabitable.”

Fire police officers from Eastern Salisbury Fire Department controlled street access to the fire scene.

Personnel from the Salisbury Police Department fire marshal’s office were on hand to investigate the source and cause of the fire.

Besides the WSVFC and Eastern Salisbury Fire Department crews, firefighters from mutual aid companies in Emmaus, South Whitehall and Lower Macungie responded to the fire scene.

A fire crew from Lower Macungie’s Alburtis Station stood by at the fire in full gear as a rapid intervention team (RIT) to respond to any firefighter rescue situations that might develop.

Wells cleared the scene 7:10 p.m.