Sirens blared across Southern Chester County on Monday as more than a half dozen fire companies responded to assist Avondale Fire Company on a mushroom house fire on Penn Green Road in New Garden Township. Dispatched just before noon, the fire at Pizzini Mushrooms destroyed a large mushroom house and attached residence, displacing a family of five.

The initial building fire dispatch indicated smoke coming from a mushroom house. As units began to respond, reports from police arriving on scene indicated heavy fire conditions. The initial Avondale Engine arrived to confirm the fire report, and secured a water supply from a hydrant across the street from the fire scene, laying a line to the rear of the structure to attack fire that was across the center of the roof of the large growing building and also in the attached residence.

West Grove Ladder 22 arrived, and set up its aerial ladder to support operations on the rear side. Crews from those initial units conducted a quick primary search of the residence, and then all firefighters were evacuated from the structure as the main roof had begun to collapse. From that point, fire suppression continued from the exterior. Windy conditions moved the fire across the roof line, with Ladder 22 and Longwood's Ladder 25 flowing high volumes of water from above, while hand lines from the ground level supported the fire fight.

Crews from Avondale, West Grove, Oxford, Longwood, Unionville, Kennett Square and Hockessin were on scene during the multi-hour operation. EMS crews from Avondale and Medic 94 were on scene, along with the Southern Chester County Regional Police, and County Fire Marshals. There were no reported injuries.

Additional coverage of the fire can be seen at:
WDEL: https://www.wdel.com/news/video-fire-ravages-chester-county-mushroom-house/article_49736f1e-8e31-11ea-b3df-e75a64eea619.html
CBS3: https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/video/4537506-fire-tears-through-mushroom-house-in-chester-county/

(Some pictures courtesy of WDEL/Mike Phillips and Emergency Nexus/Tyree Dill)