Firefighters Spend Hours Battling Tullytown Three-Alarm Blaze

The sharp smell of burning wood and paper wafted through the air of Tullytown Saturday following a three-alarm fire.

Public works crews used a backhoe to remove still-smoldering cardboard boxes from the large industrial building in the 700 block of William Leigh Drive, just a short distance from the station used by the Tullytown Fire Company.

The first fire alarm rang around 7 a.m. after police found heavy smoke pouring from the building and additional emergency crews from around the area were called as the morning progressed.

Firefighters began drafting water from the nearby cove and used it to fight the flames after water problems caused issues.

Tullytown Fire Company Deputy Chief Aaron Cohen said between 3,000 to 4,000 feet of hose was used to draw water from the Delaware River and fire hydrants along Main Street.

A thick column of smoke could be seen over the borough as fire trucks rushed to the burning building, which was operated by a company that is involved with the distribution of books. Much of the fire was concentrated deep in stacked boxes and pallets that contained books.

Crews were able to place the blaze under control by around 3 p.m.

Cohen said a firefighter suffered an ankle injury and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

The cause of the fire was related to an electrical issue within a piece of equipment, Cohen told LevittownNow.com.

“On behalf of the Residents, Businesses, Mayor and Council of Tullytown we wish to thank all of the emergency responders who responded today to the building fire. GREAT JOB!,” police said in a Facebook post.

In total, 38 pieces of fire equipment, including some from New Jersey, responded to the Tullytown scene. Three ambulances were also present, the deputy chief said.

Cohen thanked firefighters who spend a sunny Saturday fighting the fire.