BERKS COUNTY, Pa. (WHP) — Multiple fire units were called to a large apartment fire late Thursday in Muhlenberg Township.
Before 9:30 p.m., large flames and heavy black smoke were seen billowing from the roof of Oak Forest Apartments, building G, according to dispatch.
Evacuation tones sounded in building G at the 2200 block of Hampden Boulevard in Reading as part of the roof collapsed due to the flames, forcing firefighters to retreat from rescue operations, dispatch said.
Officials told dispatchers that there were water supply issues in the area, which created more problems for establishing an effective water supply for firefighting.
Residents were urged to avoid the area and allow emergency crews to work.
Around 10:30 p.m., Reading City Councilman Raymond Baker said emergency crews were hard at work protecting the lives of all citizens in the area and extinguishing the fire.
Baker said he reached out to the mayor, the rest of the city council, and the township commissioner, Mie Merkel, to see what he and the rest of the city could do for “all those who lost their homes tonight.”
We must come together as a community to help those in times like these and this should be no exception. This is a reminder that disasters do not care about municipal boundary lines and no matter which side you live on we are all one community.
He concluded his Facebook statement by thanking first responders for putting their own safety at risk for the community in times like these.