News

Due to the quick thinking of a 13 year old daughter who woke up early in the morning on April 17 smelling smoke, she was able to awaken her brother and parents so that all family members were able to safely escape from their burning house, averting a family tragedy. At 1:22 a.m. on Friday, April 17, the Millville, Frankford, and Dagsboro Volunteer Fire Companies were dispatched along with the Sussex County Paramedics to a structure fire at the 32000 block of Wingate Road. The responders arrived to an older two-story dwelling on fire. Millville’s Deputy Chief Doug Scott was able to speak with the father upon arriving at the scene to determine all occupants were safely out of the dwelling, allowing him to focus on the suppression of the fire instead of a search and rescue. Three 1¾-inch lines were used on the attack, two from Engine 84-6 and one from Engine 73-1. Second Assistant Chief Graig Temple initiated the ventilation of the roof area. Millville’s Chief Shawn Evans was assigned to oversee Operations, with Third Assistant Chief Richie Walls in charge of the Interior. An adequate water supply was established with the units responding to the scene. An investigation by the Delaware State Fire Marshal’s Office determined the cause of the blaze to be a chimney fire from a wood stove that extended into the ceiling between the first and second floors. Damage to the building was estimated at approximately $25,000. The Fire Marshal also determined there were no working smoke detectors in the dwelling. Deputy Chief Doug Scott declared the fire under control at 1:22 a.m. Units remained on the scene until 5:39 a.m. Additional positions assigned by Deputy Chief Scott during the alarm were: Accountability-Brian Hitchens, Frankford Second Assistant Chief; Safety Officer-Tom Bacon, Frankford Chief; Water Supply-Jack Melson, Millville Chief Engineer; Manpower Pool-Tom Glenn, Dagsboro Chief, Rehab-Roxana’s Rehab Unit. Firefighters on the scene were established as the RIT (Rapid Intervention Team) team. The Bethany Beach, Millsboro, Selbyville, Gumboro, and Indian River Fire Companies also provided assistance during the alarm. One firefighter was treated on the scene for a minor injury. “DEDICATED VOLUNTEERS PROUDLY SERVING OUR COMMUNITY”