A fire early this morning in the borough caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage and injured three people — two residents and a firefighter, officials said.
Emergency responders were dispatched at 1:23 a.m. to the 300 block of East King Street, according to the Department of Emergency Services. It was originally dispatched as a working fire, but additional manpower was later called in, said Malvern Fire Company Chief Paul Wilkins, who added that it was eventually classified as a two-alarm fire.
About 75 firefighters battled the blaze for more than two hours. By 3:49 a.m. it was under control, he said.
Firefighters rescued two civilians from the building: one from the doorway and another from the roof, Wilkins said. The building includes a business and four apartments, said Chester County Fire Marshal Harrison Holt. A total of six people live at the residence, said Red Cross spokesman Dave Schrader.
The Red Cross is helping three residents at this time and will follow up with the two who were hospitalized, Schrader said. The sixth resident was out of town at the time of the fire, he said.
One firefighter suffered injuries from a fall, his injuries are not considered life threatening, Wilkins said. A civilian was flown to a trauma center, the nature of his injuries are unknown at this time, Wilkins said. Neither Wilkins nor Holt had knowledge of the second civilian’s injuries, Schrader specified that two of the building’s residents were in the hospital following the fire.
The Red Cross gave three people clothes, and two people received money for lodging and food, Schrader said.
Malvern Fire Company, Paoli Fire Company, Berwyn Fire Company, Lionville Fire Company, East Whiteland Fire Company, Good Will Fire Company and Newtown Square Fire Company responded to the fire.
The weather caused some problems for the firefighters, Wilkins said. Firefighters had to deal with the extreme cold, as well as the icy roads. The road crew from the borough of Malvern was called in to pour salt on the roads, he said.
"Everyone did an excellent job," Wilkins said. "They made an aggressive search-and-rescue. They all did an awesome job."
