2-alarm fire in Centre County destroys Halfmoon Township garage. Here’s what we know
A two-alarm fire in Halfmoon Township completely destroyed a large garage and threatened to spread as a wildfire Thursday, but seven local fire companies extinguished the blaze within two hours to prevent further damage.
No one was injured, and no nearby homes were impacted on Smith Road, which fire police temporarily shut down Thursday to protect the scene. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
“For a blaze like that, I was beyond impressed with my team and mutual aid companies,” said Josh Witherite, deputy chief for Port Matilda Fire Company, which was first to respond.
According to both Witherite and public emergency information, Port Matilda arrived on scene within 15 minutes of receiving a dispatch call at 5:12 p.m. Thursday. They arrived at 275 Smith Road to a large garage on fire, in addition to cars — both inside and outside the garage — and nearby hay bales and tires.
The fire caused a small wildfire on the hillside, but brush trucks from both the Port Matilda and Warriors Mark fire companies put it out before reaching a neighboring residence. The blaze in Halfmoon Township was marked controlled by 7 p.m.
“The biggest challenge was the bales,” Witherite added. “We had to roll them around and tear them apart.”
Witherite noted that all of the responding fire companies had volunteers on the scene. Among those responding were Alpha Fire Company, Bald Eagle Volunteer Fire Company, Boalsburg Fire Company, Morris Township Volunteer Fire Company No. 1, Neptune Fire Company, Pleasant Gap Fire Company, Port Matilda Fire Company and Warriors Mark Franklin Volunteer Fire Company.
Standing by were Port Matilda EMS and Columbia Volunteer Fire Company.
