A fire in Ashland late Saturday, displaced 8 families.
At 8:15pm, Saturday, emergency personnel were called to 1000 Block of Centre Street for a working structure fire.
Firefighters arrived to find heavy fire coming from the third floor of one of homes and quickly spreading to nearby homes.
Emergency personnel from around northern Schuylkill County and parts of Northumberland remained on scene to almost midnight before clearing the scene.
The Ashland Fire Department remained on scene overnight for firewatch.
The fire severely damaged the apartment buildings at 1010, 1012, and 1014 Centre Street with the apartments at 1004 sustaining smoke and water damage.
According to the American Red Cross, 10 families including 8 adults, and 3 children were affected by the fire and are being assisted.
Ashland Fire Chief Groody commended first responders on their attack and response time. Groody praised the first alarm engines from the Washington Fire Company and American Hose from Ashland and the Rangers Hose Company from Girardville for the use of their deck guns within minutes of arrival and holding the fire.
"In my 50 years of fighting fires, I don't ever remember hitting a fire with 3 deck guns on the initial attack." Groody said.
Groody also praised all the out-of-town units for responding and going to work within 20 minutes of dispatch.
Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshal Trooper Joseph Hall from the Frackville barracks was on scene early Sunday to investigate.
With help from the Minersville Fire Department and their Tower, Hall sifted through the rubble to investigate a cause.
According to Chief Groody, after Trooper Hall completed his investigation, the cause was still under investigation.
