ELRAMA, Pa. — Crews are working to repair extensive damage at the Elrama Volunteer Fire Company after a water main break sent several feet of water rushing through the firehouse late Friday night.
Three firefighters inside the station at the time were briefly trapped in a back room and had to rescue themselves, said Assistant Fire Chief Lenny Bailey.
“They always said that’s a 48-inch line — if that thing ever broke, there was going to be trouble — and we finally got it,” he said.
Restoration work is now underway inside the firehouse, but the damage is significant. Bailey said the flooding ruined 26 sets of firefighting gear and the three trucks are being evaluated and repaired.
“You figure a typical fire truck these days is between $900,000 and a million dollars — just a fire truck — and we’ve got 26 sets of fire gear on the wall that’s ruined,” he said. “It’s very devastating to the fire department and the community.”
The water main break also forced the temporary closure of the nearby Elrama Tavern after water service was shut off and a boil water advisory was issued. Pennsylvania American Water said a power surge caused low levels in a storage tank, which could allow contamination. The boil advisory was lifted late Monday morning.
Susie Grimm, the tavern’s owner, said the closure has been especially difficult as the business approaches the one-year anniversary of reopening after a previous fire.
“We’re coming up on our one-year anniversary of just being open after our fire, and this is hard because every receipt helps,” Grimm said.
Grimm says she is excited to be back open this week and make up any losses.
Recovery for the fire department is expected to take much longer. Fire company operations will continue out of the Union Township municipal building.
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