On Friday, a fire damaged the Girard Mansion in Girardville.
Around 11:45am, fire crews were dispatched to a house fire at the Girard Mansion located at the intersection of North 2nd Street and East Mahanoy Avenue in Girardville.
As Girardville Fire Chief Frank Zangari arrived on scene, he found a working fire in a 2nd floor room, and quickly upgraded the fire to a 2nd alarm calling in additional units from surrounding communities.
The Rangers Hose Co. Engine was the first on the scene and "blitzed" the 2nd floor front window, and Chief Zangari said the rest worked just like a sprinkler.
Chief Zangari said thanks to the quick response and work by firefighters, the fire damage was contained to "room and contents" of the 2nd floor room, with some water damage on the first floor.
The fire was marked under control in about 15-20 minutes from the initial call.
Chief Zangari said the cause of the fire was electrical, with the root of the cause being an overloaded due to a space heater.
One person was taken to the hospital, but was later released after evaluation.
"We put guys up on the roof, there were no holes cut or walls busted. The firefighters did a great job preserving the history of the building. The firefighters followed the directions to a 'T'. The potential for an enormous fire with enormous property loss was there." said Zangari.
The Girard Mansion is one of the oldest buildings in Schuylkill County being built in 1816, according to Chief Zangari.
The building is currently owned by Don Kuntz who recently purchased it from Victor Prep.
As units cleared the scene from Girardville, some transferred to a 2nd Alarm fire on Trenton Road in Delano Township.
