Sep 5, 2013 2 min read

Crews from McDonald, Muse, Cecil, Lawrence, Fairview and Peters Township – 26 firefighters in all – fought an electrical fire at Ritchey Metals, 30 Georgetown Road, for almost three hours Tuesday afternoon.

The lack of fire hydrants made the job of firefighters who battled the blaze that much harder.

Police shut down the road shortly before 4 p.m. to permit firefighters to obtain water from Morganza Road – nearly 1,500 feet from the business that sits on the south side of Georgetown Road. Crews needed an additional truck to maintain water pressure the extra distance.

It was the type of scene Lawrence Fire Department No. 1 Chief Stan “Stush” Sadowski previously warned officials about along Georgetown Road in Cecil Township.

“I feared for a day like this,” Sadowski said, “and it happened too soon.”

Sadowski testified during a Pennsylvania Utilities Commission hearing on proposed rate increases several months ago that the stretch of roadway from the intersection of Morganza Road and stretching several miles down Georgetown Road was in danger. Properties there do not have public water lines and therefore do not have access to fire hydrants.

Sadowski said employees at Ritchey Metals called 911 after they smelled smoke. Officials did not know how much damage was caused, but said the fire was contained to the office building and no chemicals were involved. There were no injuries as a result of the fire.

All things considered, Sadowski said it could have been worse. The proximity to Morganza Road allowed crews to pump water from the closest hydrant. Any homes further down the road would have required water to be brought on scene with water trucks.

“Anything else and we’re looking at a lot more manpower,” Sadowski said.

The fire was still under investigation by the state fire marshal.

Staff writer Terri Johnson contributed to this article.