A neighbor noticed the flames at 504, 506 and 508 Erie Avenue, a three-story commercial structure made of brick and prominent to the Erie Avenue landscape, around 3 a.m. Renovo Fire Department Chief Ted Hill who would have command for the next 11 and a half hours, arrived on scene to the adjoining properties fully involved.

All three addresses have been vacant buildings for years, most recently having been home to Renovo Rail office spaces.

In the rear of one of the properties was an adjoining garage which Renovo Borough used to store multiple pieces of equipment including their bucket truck, mowers and side-by-side that were left to charred remains.

With stations arriving from all over the area including Centre and Lycoming counties, a five-inch hose was run from the scene to the river as well as a 6-tanker shuttle bringing water from the Susquehanna River to Erie Avenue.

A three-alarm fire early in the morning on the Fourth of July had a massive response from throughout central Pennsylvania, as a three-story building housing three commercial properties was up in flames. PHOTO BY KEVIN RAUCH

Additionally, Ladder Truck #29 alone used 220,000 gallons of water from the hydrants on the initial scene, not including another 47,000 during a flare-up later in the morning.

With flames showing from the majority of the windows and roofs, saving the units that were already on fire was not possible, still, somehow an adjoined building at 500 Erie was astoundingly saved by the efforts of the responders. The 500 Erie property has also been vacant for years.

An interior attack from the firefighters initially occurred, but the flames had simply taken over the structure to a point where saving it was unattainable. Eventually the roof collapsed which then became the toughest challenge as it “pancaked” the fire taking hours to extinguish and a prime source for flare-ups.

The majority of the visible flames had been clear as daylight broke, but as the sun rose the heat also became an immediate concern. The Red Cross arrived on scene helping to provide supplies such as much needed drinking water.

The exterior wall on the eastern side had collapsed prior to daybreak, but despite the issues no injuries occurred.

The Renovo Water Department’s water system was taxed during operations but officials said there will not be lingering issues and levels should be back to normal in a couple of days.

Wooden floors above basements became evident in the aftermath, which included the borough’s bucket truck that had partially fallen into the basement.

With roofs and walls collapsed, Smith Lumber and Excavation took over the task late afternoon to safely take down what remained of the buildings, including the Erie Avenue store-fronts that still remained standing.