A two-alarm fire destroyed a Manheim Township home and displaced six of its residents Friday night.
The blaze, reported around 2:40 p.m., quickly consumed the rancher and garage at 4964 Blue Hill Road despite the efforts of dozens of firefighters. Reports of entrapment were initially released, but Southwestern Regional Police quickly accounted for everyone, according to Mike Hampton, of the Pleasant Hill Volunteer Fire Co. "They thought there was entrapment because of the volume of the fire," he said. Hampton said 90 percent of the first floor of the house was on fire when firefighters first arrived on scene, and smoke could be seen from as far as five miles away. As they initially tried to combat the fire, one of the hoses collapsed, Hampton said. "The flames must have burned through the line," he said, adding that firefighters had to pull back and then tried to control the fire with other lines. "It was really hectic there for the first 30 minutes," Hampton said. Tony Rummel, one of the home's residents, said he was out with his father, Larry Rummel, and his two sons running errands when he learned of the fire. "We went out doing some things and my brother called me up to say the house is on fire, and we got back home," he said, whose brother, Larry Rummel Jr., is a firefighter with Hanover Fire Dept. "We were only going to be gone a little while," Tony Rummel said as he watched firefighters struggle to contain the blaze in a steady drizzle Friday. "You never expect to come back and everything you ever owned is gone. The whole nine yards is gone." "My dad is taking it hard," he added. "One of my sons is taking it hard, the other kind of hard. Everything was in there."
A state fire marshal investigated the fire Friday night, and ruled it accidental. Firefighters were seen removing several propane tanks from the debris, but the fire marshal said it was most likely caused due to an electrical problem, according to a statement released by Southwestern Regional Police Dept. Hampton said extra tankers where called in from several companies to provide water during the fire. "It's a rural area out there," Hampton said. "There are no fire hydrants." The closest water source was Lake Marburg at Codorus State Park. A water supply source was set up near Route 216 and Lakeview Drive in Codorus State Park and portable ponds were also used to aid with the fire, Hampton added. The American Red Cross York-Adams Chapter assisted both the Rummel family and firefighters at the scene. It was unclear Friday night where the family was relocated to. Firefighters from Jefferson, Penn Township, Pleasant Hill, Porters Community, Hanover, Southeastern Adams
Volunteer Emergency Services and Glen Rock responded to the fire, in addition to two Maryland fire companies, forcing the closure of Blue Hill Road for several hours.