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Fire Causes Evacuation of Springfield Mall

Springfield Fire Company was dispatched along with Swarthmore Fire Company on Thursday, July 27th at 17:30 hours for a fire inside the Springfield Mall.  The initial reports were for a smoke condition in the rear hallway behind the Bath and Body Works Store on the second floor.  First arriving units had a heavy smoke condition in the second floor service hallway to the rear of the Mall but initially could not locate the source of the smoke.

Firefighters from Engine 44-1 started searching stores on the first floor rear side of the mall, while firefighters from Ladder 14 (Swarthmore) checked the roof area.  Firefighters also searched the first floor maintenance rooms on the exterior of the mall and located the source of the fire in a two story storage area next to the rear entrance by the Burger King Restaurant.

The fire was located behind a steel I-Beam, directly below the second floor service hallway.  Some insulation and construction debris was burning and firefighters from Engine 44-1 and Ladder 14 quickly extinguished the small fire.  Media Fire Company was dispatched to help with the ventilation of smoke from the Mall Complex.

The fire appears to have been started by an improperly discarded heated material in the service hallway on the second floor which fell between a crack in the floor and ignited the insulation materials below.

Companies operating on the scene were:   Springfield Fire Company, Swarthmore Fire Company, Media Fire Company, Springfield Ambulance Corps., Springfield Hospital Paramedic 106, Springfield Police and Fire Police and Springfield Township Fire Marshal.

Units remained on the scene until 19:00 hours.   Clifton Heights Fire Company and Holmes Fire Company provided stand-by coverage in Springfield Township during the incident.