Multiple departments respond to brush fires in Allegheny Township, Plum

Tony LaRussa | Monday, February 13, 2023 5:13 p.m.

Rob Amen | Tribune-Review

First responders establish a staging area at the PennDOT driver’s license center along Route 366 in Plum as they prepare to fight a brush fire atop a wooded hillside on Monday. Smoke can be seen in the distance.

Firefighters from multiple departments worked to extinguish a brush fire Monday afternoon in Allegheny Township before being called to a second brush fire in Plum, according to authorities.

The first fire was reported in the 400 block of Hulton Road about 3:25 p.m., according a Westmoreland County 911 supervisor.

About 45 minutes after arriving, some of the resources from the fire were diverted to Plum, where a second brush fire erupted, authorities said.

The first firefighters who arrived on scene in Allegheny Township quickly requested backup units because the high winds were whipping the flames toward nearby homes, according to emergency dispatches.

The National Weather Service reported the wind speed was 18 mph with gusts reaching 33 mph.

Brush and tanker trucks were sent to the scene to help firefighters contain the flames spreading through thick underbrush and woods, firefighters reported.

There were no injuries reported and no homes were damaged, according to initial reports.

Fire police responded to the scene to keep traffic away from the area where firefighters were working.

Officials did not say how much land was affected by the brush fire, but initial reports were that at least 2 acres of brush had ignited.

At about 4:20 p.m. crews had much of the fire under control and responded to the request to divert personnel from Hulton Road to the fire in Plum, about nine miles away.

That fire was reported in the 100 block of Hemphill Hollow Road, according to authorities. Hemphill Hollow Road is not far from the PennDOT driver’s license center on Route 366.

First responders reported that about 1 acre was on fire and requested more manpower to respond because it was threatening nearby dwellings, according to authorities.

Numerous fire departments used the driver’s license center as a staging area to battle the fire, which sat atop a wooded hillside.

Authorities asked for departments to respond with all-terrain vehicles to help reach areas not accessible by truck, authorities reported.

Shortly before 5 p.m., crews in Allegheny Township reported that the fire there was knocked down, but personnel remained on scene to remove charred brush and timber to prevent it from reigniting.