40¢
70th Year, Issue No. 7 USPS 248-700
FEBRUARY 17-23, 2011 A General Circulation Newspaper Serving The Community Since 1942
SERVING BATH, CHAPMAN, NORTHAMPTON, NAZARETH BOROS; ALLEN, E. ALLEN, MOORE, LEHIGH, BUSHKILL, LOWER NAZARETH & UPPER NAZARETH TWPS.
Flames destroy home and barn in Lehigh Township By BILL HALBFOERSTER & ALICE WANAMAKER The Home News
Thirteen years ago, fire destroyed a barn in Lehigh Township that killed more than 100 pigs. It was at Lorah’s Pig Roasters & Farm Market at 4739 Cypress Drive. On Sunday morning, another barn owned by Lorah’s burned to the ground. It was the second of two fires on Sunday that Lehigh Township Vol. Fire Co. and other area fire companies responded to. The earlier one was a house at 4555 Lehigh Drive, across the street from Becky’s Drive-in Theater. No one was injured in either blaze, but the properties in both instances were destroyed. The resident, Henry R. Johnson, who had lived in the home for about nine months, was given lodging, meals, clothing and toiletry items by the Greater Lehigh Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross. According to published reports, he was awakened by his pet dog at about 6 a.m. He had been sleeping on a couch and after waking up saw smoke in the living room. The home was up for sale. The fire was reported around 6 a.m. The fire completely gutted the structure. Just as the firefighters finished putting out that fire
along Rt. 248 they saw smoke and got a call about the second fire less than a mile away at Lorah’s Farm market in Berlinsville. Over 45 firefighters were on the scene around 11:30 a.m. Sunday morning working to put out the fire that was continuing to smolder in the hay from the barn. It was a well organized operation of firefighters working together to ensure safety and swiftly extinguish the fire. As fire trucks went back and forth from the reported source of water used to douse the fires, the Berlinsville quarry, traffic was halted. At one point, as cars stopped along the busy highway, a Lehigh Township fire policeman radioed from the truck, "Move, you cannot stop on the highway". This reporter was in the fellowship hall of Christ Church, Bath, shortly after worship had ended at 10:15 a.m., when he received a call about the fire at a farm market. It was the Lorah barn fire that was being referred to. Contained in the 100-yearold barn were farm equipment and tons of hay and straw. The latter proved troublesome as always, as it continually re-ignited. A front end loader was used to break up the smoldering bales. This time there were no pigs in the
100 by 200-ft. barn. Fire Company Response Responding to the fires in addition to Lehigh Township were these other fire fighting companies: Northampton, Schnecksville, Friedens,
Walnutport, Slatington, East Allen, Klecknersville, Allen Township, Aquashicola, Laury’s Station, Coplay and Neffs. Lehigh Fire Chief, Rich Hildenbrand, Jr. and his men were the first on the scene.
North Penn Goodwill Services from Souderton assisted firefighters and police on the scene with food, water, towels and warmth. There was no report on the cause of either fire. Officials are investigating.
AERIAL LADDERS were provided by Northampton and East Allen Township fire companies. – Home News photo
HAY BALES were broken up by a front end loader as they smoldered.
– Home News photo
HOME at 4555 Lehigh Drive was gutted. – photo by Thomas Reed
HOSES from the fire trucks used to spray down the ruins.
-photo by Thomas Reed
2 0 1 0 L e B E A M C o m m u n i t y S p i r i t Aw a rd R e c i p i e n t