Huge warehouse blaze in York under control - firefighters now putting out hot spots

Update

York City Fire Chief William Sleeger said the fire at 951 Elm Street at the intersection of Albemarle Street was brought under control sometime after midnight.

This morning, firefighters were working on putting out hot spots. Sleeger said firefighters will not be entering the building in the immediate future, and equipment will be brought in at some point to do demolition and stabilize the site.

Sleeger said one city firefighter suffered minor injuries during the blaze.

No damage estimate was available.

Sleeger said he was waiting for fire investigators to arrive to determine the origin of the fire, and city police have put out a call for surveillance video of the area prior to the fire.

The chief said the warehouse had many wooden pallets that "added to the fire load."

"When we got here the fire was already through the roof - well advanced," Sleeger said.

The chief said the fire ranks high on the list of large commercial building blazes in city history .

The warehouse building houses multiple tenants, including Herr Tool Sales owned by Tom Herr of Lancaster, who was at the scene this morning surveying the aftermath.

Herr said he's assuming his small operation at the site, with two employees, was a total loss. He was using the building to store 55-gallon drums of metal working fluids.

He said the owner of the building had been working on renovations such as adding windows and cleaning the site. York County property records list the owner of 951 Elm as United Canal LLC.

Laurie Mullins Haines, who has lived in the neighborhood near the warehouse for over 50 years, was on the scene during the fire doing Facebook live reports , and she was back this morning filming the aftermath.

She said the scene was dramatic, especially after there was an explosion and bricks flew. "They screamed for us to get back," she said.

"Firefighters from all over were here, doing a wonderful job trying to keep things under control - per usual," she said.

"I want to say this was a long time coming, unfortunately. ... It's only used for storage, nothing really active that we see. I'm glad no one was hurt."

Reported earlier

York City firefighters and multiple other fire agencies were on the scene of a six-alarm fire in a warehouse building at 951 Elm St. at the intersection of South Albemarle Street in York Friday evening. Firefighters were dispatched to the scene at 6:38 p.m., according to York County 911.

The building is occupied and is used for storage, said York Mayor Michael Helfrich.

"We are blessed that nobody has been hurt," he said around 8:50 p.m. Friday evening.

Helfrich said firefighters were working to stop the fire from transferring to the building to the west.

There is no danger to nearby residences, but gas and electricity service may be affected in this vicinity, according to a city news release. City officials are asking people to stay away from the area.

A look back: Other huge fires in York County's history

Police seek surveillance video

According to a news release, the York City Police Department is seeking video surveillance footage related to the fire.

Police are looking for video of the area from shortly before 6:40 p.m. on Friday, July 12, 2024.

Those with video can email Detective Commander Andy Baez at abaez@yorkcity.org or call the tip line at 717-849-2204, or the department at 717-846-1234.

Fire trucks crash

Later in the evening, around 10:58 p.m. on Friday, two fire department tanker trucks shuttling water to the scene were involved in a collision.

A total of seven firefighters from Windsor and York New Salem were injured to varying degrees.

More: Two fire trucks crash with multiple injuries in Spring Garden Township

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Huge warehouse blaze in York under control - firefighters now putting out hot spots