Additional reports stated the engine of a pickup truck exploded and caused a fire. Deputy 23 arrived first finding a pickup truck fully involved with multiple exposures to woods and a building. Engine 23 arrived and stretched the 100’ bumper line and began extinguishing the fire. Engine 23 knocked the fire from the vehicle and wood line. Tanker and Squad 23 arrived assisting with manpower and water. The exposed building was soaked down and limited damage was reported. The incident was placed under control and crews began cleanup.
Avondale Fire Police closed both sides of Bancroft Road for an extended period of time.
No subjects were injured in this vehicle accident.
A special thank you to Firefighter Wright for the photos.
Deputy Chief Cole held the “Avondale Command.”
The new website will cover news about the merger, and includes pages that answer common questions about the merger, and a map of the fire district. New Facebook and Instagram pages were also launched along with the new website.
The websites of the West Grove and Avondale Fire Companies will remain live this year and will be the place where emergency incident news and fire prevention topics will be covered. In the meantime, AFC and WGFC will continue operating independently throughout 2026 while working more closely together in preparation for full integration.
This year, we were awarded $2,500 to assist with upgrading our fire station alerting system.
Many may ask, “What is a station alerting system?” This system is directly connected to our dispatch center and activates every time our department is dispatched to a call for service. The alerting system operates throughout the fire station, including the sleeping quarters, engine bays, kitchen, and lighting systems.
As part of this upgrade, we will be incorporating specialized lighting into our bunk areas. Research has shown this type of lighting helps firefighters and EMTs wake more effectively while reducing the risk of injury during emergency responses.
This upgraded system will enhance our members ability to respond quickly and safely to emergencies within our community.
Be sure not to miss the 41st Annual Mushroom Festival in Kennett Square. A great family-friendly event filled with food vendors, live entertainment, local businesses, activities, and of course, mushrooms!
2026 Mushroom Festival Dates & Times:
Saturday, September 12, 2026 - 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Sunday, September 13, 2026 - 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
The Mushroom Festival continues to support local nonprofit organizations and first responders throughout our community, and we are incredibly grateful for their support. We encourage everyone to come out and enjoy this outstanding community tradition!
Chief 23 arrived first on scene and reported a two-story single-family dwelling with smoke showing from the garage. Engine 23 and Ladder 19 arrived shortly after. Engine 23 secured the hydrant past the residence and stretched a 300-foot handline to the front door. Ladder 19 arrived as the first-due truck company, positioning in the front yard while crews initiated a primary search for possible occupants.
Fire crews located the main body of the fire in the garage. Engine 23 quickly placed water on the fire while Ladder 19’s crew began opening up to check for extension. Kennett’s Engine 24 arrived as the second-due engine and stretched a backup line to the front door. Ladder 22 and Engine 22 also arrived and assisted with overhaul operations and checked for extension around the base of the fire on Division 1.
The fire was placed under control within 15 minutes of Engine 23’s arrival. Crews remained on scene to assist the fire marshal with the investigation.
All units cleared the scene at approximately 2330 hours.
The majority of calls that Avondale Fire Company responds to are initially dispatched as emergencies that require lights and sirens. This allows emergency units to quickly begin responding while additional information is being obtained. At the time of dispatch, details can be limited, and responding promptly ensures that help is on the way if conditions are serious or rapidly changing.
As the incident progresses, the first arriving unit or a responding Chief Officer will assess the situation on scene. Once a clear picture of the emergency is established, they may determine that an urgent response from additional units is no longer necessary. At that point, responding apparatus may be instructed to slow their response, turn off lights and sirens, or return to the station.
Turning off lights and sirens when they are no longer needed helps reduce the risk of traffic accidents, minimizes disruption to the community, and allows responders to operate safely. It also ensures that emergency resources remain available for other incidents that may arise.
While it may appear unusual from the outside, this practice reflects real-time decision-making and responsible emergency management. The Avondale Fire Company’s priority is always the safety of our residents, motorists, and firefighters, and adjusting response modes as conditions change is a key part of that mission.
We appreciate the community’s patience and support, and we thank you for helping us keep everyone safe.
Engine and Ambulance 23 made the response right after dispatch. Responding units were advised that the caller was reporting flames from the home. While heading up to the scene, Ambulance 23-1 had fire visible from Newark Road and Route 1 Bypass and immediately requested the working fire dispatch.
Arriving units confirmed Ambulance 23-1's report and also requested the first alarm tanker task force due to no fire hydrants in the area. During the incident, a fill site was established at the nearby Bowling Green Inn hydrant. The purpose of the fill site is to refill tanker trucks to get them back in service as quickly as possible and back to the scene.
Engine 23 arrived as the first due engine, dropping their supply line at the end of the driveway and then going into service with an attack line for fire suppression. Kennett's Assistant Chief 24 established the command post for the duration.
Squad and Tanker 23 followed suit. Squad 23 arrived and secured the water supply for Engine 23. Crews then entered the structure and conducted primary searches to check for anyone that could still possibly be inside the structure, fortunately search results were negative. Squad 23 crews also assisted with opening up the walls and ceilings to find any hidden fires.
Crews operated for up to five hours getting the fire placed under control. Final units cleared just after 1100 hours.
Though suppression efforts were aggressive, around 0034 the next morning, multiple calls came in to the Chester County 911 Center reporting that the house had rekindled and was on fire again.
Crews arrived to find heavy fire coming from the structure. Longwood's Fire Chief 25 assumed command and requested the operation to be exterior only as well as another tanker task force. Crews utilized the ladder pipe from West Grove's Ladder 22 and Longwood's Ladder 25 to knock down the bulk of fire while additional attack lines were also used to drown the fire.
Final crews cleared the second incident at 0523 hours.
Ambulance, Chief, and Squad 23 responded following dispatch. Upon arrival, crews found a pick-up against a tree and the operator regaining consciousness. Chief 23 established command while EMS provided treatment and transported the patient to a nearby hospital.
Squad 23 personnel secured the vehicle to ensure safety for removal by tow company. After it was deemed that no further fire services were needed, Chief 23 terminated command and turned the scene over to State Police Avondale.
Final units cleared at 1732 hours.
The original reporting party stated that there was a large haybale fire to the rear of a nearby farm with possible exposure to a nearby forest due to 15 mph winds. Due to this initial information, Po-Mar-Lin Fire Company requested units from Avondale, Kennett, and Longwood to assist.
Squad and Tanker 23 made the response right after dispatch. Engine 24 from Kennett arrived first and confirmed two large piles of hay fully involved with winds driving the smoke into the nearby wooded area.
Ladder 25 arrived second and initially staged out of the way while crews were setting up a water supply but was later repositioned next to Engine 24 and began to utilize their master stream off of the ladder to knock down both the fire and the bales themselves into one large pile.
During this time, Squad and Tanker 23 arrived and assisted with getting the initial water supply operation in place. Due to the large volumes of water that were needed, the decision was made to establish a tanker fill site instead. Squad 23 then relocated to the 500 block of Byrd Road and utilized one of the hydrants located along the roadway.
Traffic 23 assisted with traffic control around the fill site and Assistant 23 assisted neighboring Chief officers with operations.
23 units operated until they were released by Command at 1734 hours. A special thank you to West Grove's Engine 22-1 for standing by at Avondale while crews were working.