A basement fire early Wednesday at the Carrie Court Apartments on Gay Street in Phoenixville sent residents scrambling out of the building and left multiple tenants displaced. Fire crews had the blaze under control by about 8:18 a.m., and officials reported no injuries.
Video and a brief incident timeline were posted to the Phoenixville Fire Department's Facebook page. According to the post, crews were dispatched after an automatic alarm and arrived to find smoke coming from the building's basement. The call was quickly upgraded to a building fire, and first-alarm mutual aid was requested as conditions developed, according to the Phoenixville Fire Department.
Response and Damage
Carrie Court is listed as a small multifamily complex at 600 Gay Street with roughly two dozen units, putting the building close to downtown Phoenixville, per property listings. The location is identified by local listings at Crexi.
According to the department's summary of the response, crews found an active fire in the basement that had pushed through the basement ceiling into the floor of a first-floor apartment. Ladder 65 and mutual-aid companies stretched handlines while Montco Squad 68 established a supply line from a nearby hydrant. Ladder 63 was positioned in the rear parking lot, and the department put its 75-foot quint to work on the scene. Deputy 65 established a Gay Street command, and units remained on location for roughly three hours before clearing. The Chester County Fire Marshal's Office was called in to investigate, and the cause is not believed to be suspicious, according to the Phoenixville Fire Department.
Investigators and Relief
The department's post also notes that the American Red Cross was requested to assist numerous displaced tenants. County resources state that the Chester County Department of Emergency Services' Fire Services Division handles origin-and-cause investigations and provides support to local fire companies, and the American Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania operates disaster-action teams that provide shelter, meals and casework for households affected by home fires, according to the Chester County Department of Emergency Services and the American Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Officials said they will share more information as the investigation proceeds. We will update this story when authorities release further details.
