Fire destroyed a home and garage on Lenape Road in Washing Township on Sunday afternoon sending 10 people to the hospial.                     Photo courtesty of Eastern Berks Fire Company

            A house fire Sunday afternoon in Washington Township sent eight fire fighters and two residents to area hospitals with injuries. The blaze, at a residence in the 500 block of Lenape Road, started in an attached garage and quickly spread to the rest of the house, according to Mike Mutter, chief of the Eastern Berks Fire Department.

            The structure sustained significant damage, including a partial roof collapse, according to a public information release report from the state police in Reading. Mutter described the residence as uninhabitable. The investigation is ongoing and the ignition source is unknown, according to information provided by Trooper David Boehm.

            Emergency responders eventually climbed up a second floor balcony to rescue a man in his 70s – trapped in their bedroom. According to Mutter the resident, who could not walk, was carried out a rear window and down a ladder to safety.

            The chief said two members of his company who live very close to the fire were first to the scene. He said that even though they did not have their equipment – including the proper breathing apparatus – they entered the residence to check for the resident, but the conditions forced them to leave the structure without making a rescue.

            The fire fighters initially encountered a woman who indicated that a man was still trapped inside. Unbeknownst to the emergency responders, the woman followed them into the residence. All three were forced to exit the house. The fire fighters jumped out a second-floor window, according to information provided by the state police.

            Approximately 100 fire fighters from multiple departments from Berks, Montgomery and Lehigh counties battled the blaze. Mutter said he was dispatched at 5:27 on Aug. 18 for the report of a garage fire.

            According to the chief, multiple accelerants – such as propane, gasoline, heating oil and acetylene – were stored in the garage. Mutter said the incident remains under investigation.

            "When I got there the garage was destroyed," the chief said. "The fire was pushing through to the house. We also heard screams for help from a second floor bedroom."

            Emergency responders had the fire under control within 30 to 45 minutes, according to Mutter. Both residents were transported to Lehigh Valley Hospital. Their conditions are unknown, according to law enforcement injuries.

            Five fighters from Eastern Berks and three from Boyertown Area Fire and Rescue were transported to a hospital with breathing issues and for heat exhaustion, according to the chief. They also suffered from smoke inhalation, dehydration, chest pain, general injuries and asthma issues, according to the state police.

            Fire fighters from Hereford, Earl Township, Gilberstville, New Hanover, Topton, Lyons, Seisholtzville, Pennsburg, Alburtis and Upper Milford were called to the scene. Ambulances from Bally, Boyertown, Topton, Pottstown, St Luke's, Emmaus, Upper Perk, Southern Berks, Life Lion and Cetronia also responded, as did the Salvation Army Canteen from Boyertown and North Penn Goodwill Canteen from Souderton.