Photos- Port Chester NY "Sea-Land Fire" Jan 21, 1985

[TR54 239]

Protection From The Past EMTBravo

Date: Monday January 21 , 1985

Time: 6:00 pm

Location: 103 N. Main St. " Sea-Land Discount Sports Center" & Fiscella's Pharmacy

Temp: 7 degrees , 20 + mph wind gusts -felt like 30 degrees below zero

Size up: Fire showing on arrival , 4 story 46,000 square ft. non sprinkler- Sporting Goods Store with live ammunition inside.

Firefighters: Total 200 +

Fire scene active more than a day.

Wall Collapes - Adee Street Side

Wind Blown Embers / Debris started a fire across the Byram River - Interstate Lumber & Mill Co. in Greenwich Ct.

Units Operating : PCFD E58 or E59,E60,E61,E62,E63.E64 Ladder 31 ,Tower 2, Patrol 4

Rye FD, Harrison FD, White Plains L32, Mamaroneck Ladder 20, total 8 Depts assisted.

Photo Frank Beccera Jr. The Daily Item

[TR54 239]

"Sea Land Fire" 103 N. Main Street , Port Chester NY - January 21, 1985

Photo Frank Beccera Jr. The Daily Item

[TR54 239]

PFP EMTBravo

Monday January 21, 1985 Port Chester NY 6:00pm

Business damaged: 107 North Main St -Complete Sleep , 111 N. Main St - Village Appliances ,Kaye Shoes 109 N Main St.

Thick Ice covered all Equiptment / Apparatus.

Third Significant fire that month in Village of Port Chester. A Bowling Shop on South Main & House Fire on Madison Ave.

Glow scene from I-287 Exit 9.

Photo The Daily Item / Gannett

[Stench60 29]

Another cold, miserable, night....... They finally built something on this lot this past summer, a drive-through Walgreens.

And maybe somebody from Rye can correct me, but I believe that's Doug Dahlgren from Rye in the top photo.

Edited January 26, 2008 by Stench60

[turk182 37]

Stench you are 100% correct on that. Wasn't this fire that Ryes ladder 26 iced over so bad that they drove it back to Rye semi raised? I think they were able to retract it all the way just not able to bed the ladder?

Edited January 26, 2008 by turk182

[TR54 239]

Stench you are 100% correct on that. Wasn't this fire that Ryes ladder 26 iced over so bad that they drove it back to Rye semi raised? I think they were able to retract it all the way just not able to bed the ladder?

I remember White Plains Ladder frozen also.

Lots of Hose frozen up on hose beds , 50' lenghts straight as an arrow.

I saw Pat operating TL2 the next day on scene 24 hours after intital alarm.

Thanks for posting

[PCFD ENG58 1,085]

When rye ladder 26 was sent home it had to go threw Greenwich to 95 south to RYE with the ladder about 13ft off the ground because of the ice buildup in the bed. PATROL 4 WENT BACK WITH A P.D. ESSORT because it was 14ft wide with all its doors frozen open with 2 ft of ice inside. LADDER 31 working the south east corner.

[TL2L31 8]

When rye ladder 26 was sent home it had to go threw Greenwich to 95 south to RYE with the ladder about 13ft off the ground because of the ice buildup in the bed. PATROL 4 WENT BACK WITH A P.D. ESSORT because it was 14ft wide with all its doors frozen open with 2 ft of ice inside. LADDER 31 working the south east corner.

The old girl is almost done. The new ladder made an appearence on Thursday night.

[LTNRFD 266]

The Town of Mamaroneck's Ladder 19 was set up on the north end of of Main St. with I believe Purchase's engine supplying. This was an attempt to stop the fire from running up to the railroad tracks. Later Ladder 19 was sent to Fire H.Q.s to stand-by with a Port Chester engine and a Harrison engine. Early that morning, 3 or 4 AM, there was an automatic alarm at General Foods. It seamed that there might be a job on the upper floors and a search for working hydrants was started. It was almost impossible to find a hydrant due to the 2-3 feet of snow and the freezing temps crusted the snow to a layer of ice.

I don't think anyone who was in Port Chester that night will soon forget it.

Wasn't Eng. 58 stuck (frozen to the ground) at the scene for a few days.

[PCFD ENG58 1,085]

HERE you go ENGINE 58 THE 1981 GMC E-ONE p o crap . they triyed to move it with a front end loader ,but the front end of engine fell off!

[PCFD ENG58 1,085]

second from the left is ENG58RET.HE was on duty that night working eng-58

[E58RET 24]

Hey Ang, THat didnt catch my best side.Probably the coldest I ever experienced in 21 years on the job.

[Newtofire 4]

Also mamaroneck engine 38 used its 5" hose for the first time. It supplied ladder 20's ladder pipe and had 4 handlines in the exposure 4 side

[TL2L31 8]

I hate to say it but we are way overdue for a big one.

[turk182 37]

Anyone have any pics of the Christmas Eve fire on Irving Ave in the late 80's early 90's. That was another "big one".

[SFRD49 8]

I was on the pharmacy roof with the MFD boys when a section of the Sea-Land roof collapsed. It was a race down the aerial then within 20 minutes the corner building came down. I was in the TL2 bucket with Rob Hauryluck when it came down. I remember the line of aerials setup north on No. Main anticipating the fire running but we were able to hold it.

To date it is still the record holder for the coldest job I've been in my 30 years. I slept for 12 hours when I got home the next day!!!

Stay safe,

SFRD49

[Guest]

I have a new appreciation for what you guys go through with the cold weather, down here in Australia its the heat we have to cope with, but at least you can pick up your hose and not worry about freezing up your lines, I tips me hat to you !!

[E58RET 24]

To this day I still havent figured out how the doors were locked at 1830 and the initial call came in at approx 1835 with my initial size up of white smoke from what appeared to be a chimney, Forced entry to cellar and found a large body of fire coming thru the floor,initially K/D but appeared to back draft forcing a retreat and a very long nite.

[Oswegowind 17]

I hate to say it but we are way overdue for a big one.

Wow, a few of us were discussing this same thing last night in Yonkers Fire Control...We were saying the Port Chester and Ossining were really due for big ones! Hope I don't Jinx ya, cause we could still have a really, really cold night in the near future...Would be interesting!

[TL2L31 8]

Ladder 31 is going to get retired soon. The new one is getting a few things done at the dealer for delivery. So I think we might get something before the old one goes away. It would be an appropriate way to send the workhorse off. Hopefully if it does happen, it wont be too cold.

[E58RET 24]

Dont wish for a worker,it could be your house or a nieghbors,Aint much left in PC except private and multi dwellings. Who do you want out in the cold?

[TL2L31 8]

I think everyone knows i am only kidding.