Historic Fires

Honeybaked Hams – September 23, 1992

On Wednesday, September 23, 1992, at 15:05 hours the Springfield Fire Company and Clifton Heights Fire Company were dispatched to 166 Baltimore Pike, Honeybaked Hams for a Building Fire. This building was an End of the Row Store in a Strip Shopping Center of 6 stores.

First Arriving units from Springfield Fire Company had smoke showing from three sides of the building and orders were given to start an interior attack on the fire. Crews from Engine 44-1 started to advance an 1 3/4″ Hoseline through the front of the store and were confronted with a rapidly advancing fire in the storage area to the rear of the store. The fire was being feed by a propane cylinder and the fire conditions worsened and all firefighters were ordered out of the building.

The building’s roof was constructed of Light Weight Bar Joist and with the heavy fire conditions and the weight of the air conditioning units on the roof, partial collapse of the roof structure occurred within minutes of the removal of all firefighters from inside the building.

As water supply lines were being laid by crews from Engine 44-2 and Engine 03-2, the fire now involved the entire Honeybaked Hams store and was threatening the entire row of stores. A defensive operation was started to control the fire. A second alarm was dispatched to bring additional apparatus and manpower from neighboring fire companies. Tower 44, Ladder 03, Squirt 23, Master Streams from 44-1 and 03-2 were all in service to control the fire. Crews from Snorkel 74 worked to ventilate the roof area of the stores next to Honeybaked Hams to keep the fire from spreading down the row.

The fire was brought under control in approximately two hours, with the Honeybaked Hams store being totally destroyed by the fire and the Kim’s Karate School located adjacent to Honeybaked Hams in the row of stores suffering smoke and water damage. The remaining stores in the row all suffered minor smoke damage. Crews remained on the scene until 20:05 hours. No firefighters were injured during this fire, one civilian employee of Honeybaked Hams did receive minor burns resulting from the initial propane fire that started in the rear of the building.

Firefighters from Springfield, Clifton Heights, Media, Brookhaven and Primos Secane Westbrook Park Fire Companies were operating at the scene. Ambulances from Springfield, Clifton Heights and Springfield Hospital Paramedics were on the scene along with Springfield Police and Springfield Fire Police. Swarthmore Fire Company covered Springfield Township during this emergency.

The fire loss was estimated at $800,000 dollars. The building was renovated after the fire and retrofitted with a Sprinkler System for the entire Complex. The Honeybaked Hams store is now located at 1134 Baltimore Pike in the Olde Sproul Village Shopping Center.