Stewartstown fire at old factory being investigated. Why it will stay burning for days

A fire that destroyed an old furniture factory in Stewartstown, resulting in what is believed to be one of the biggest fires in York County's history, is under investigation, according to Southern Regional Police and the Eureka Volunteer Fire Department.

Southern Regional Police and the Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshal's Office are investigating. Police are seeking any video that shows individuals or vehicles in the Mill Street area between 1:30 a.m. and 2:30 a.m. Saturday, a news release states. Anyone with information can call (717) 235-3944.

The first call about the fire came in at 1:58 a.m., according to the Eureka Volunteer Fire Department. Firefighters found that it wasn't at the location initially reported but at the nearby vacant Stewartstown Furniture Factory. The footprint of the three-story building is nearly 250,000 square feet.

"Eureka firefighters have always feared a fire starting in this building," Fire Chief Todd Gibney wrote in the Facebook post.

Property owner had plans to renovate factory into apartments

Developer Jordan Ilyes has been working on plans to rehabilitate the former factory into luxury apartments, according to the borough.

Ilyes declined to comment because of the ongoing investigation.

Why firefighters feared the early 1900s factory going up in flames

Former leaders of the fire department took action years ago to ensure they could draw water to fight a big fire, and more recently firefighters made a plan of attack for the old 1900s factory building, constructed of heavy timber and brick, in case it went up in flames, Gibney said in the Facebook post.

Years ago, the department had an 8-inch in diameter water pipe installed at a pond on Piston Court when the Stewartstown Station development was built. Firefighters tapped into it for the fire over the weekend, allowing them to get off of the hydrants that use the town's water supply, the post states.

In more recent years, the department developed a 13-page plan for a fire at the factory. It included strategies for fighting a blaze and directions for immediate and long-term water supply, the fire chief wrote.

The fire department knew that it could lose other neighboring buildings if a massive fire broke out at the factory.

"I am pleased to say that with the exception of one home on High Street with 3 pieces of warped siding and some melted siding on the vacant Stewartstown Sweets building, NO other houses or buildings were damaged in this fire," Gibney said.

Large embers found miles from fire scene

The fire early Saturday morning grew to six alarms, pulling in help from Adams, Lancaster and York counties as well as Baltimore and Harford counties in Maryland, Gibney said.

Fire trucks patrolled neighborhoods to ensure that other structures did not catch on fire from the flying embers.

Those embers landed 3.5 miles away from the fire scene, Gibney said. They were found on Blymire Hollow Road and Westview Drive.

The fire chief said the structure will continue to smolder for days.

Fire chief thanks fire departments and others who responded to the call

The fire chief thanked fire departments, Southern Regional Police, the York County 911 Mobile Command Unit, the state Department of Environmental Protection, and many others for their assistance in fighting the inferno.

"To the community…. thank you for your support an understanding," he wrote. "I realize you have suffered through the fear of whether your home might catch fire, dealt with smoke wafting through the air, went with periods of brown tap water, lost electrical power, had trouble navigating town, and other issues. Most of those problems have been resolved at this time."

Rose Fire Company in New Freedom, which had emergency responders on the scene, urged the public to join their local fire companies and to support them with donations.

"Our Fire and EMS system is pushed to the max daily just like this," the fire company said in a Facebook post. "Luckily these dedicated Volunteer Organizations always 'Make it work.' Let’s not find out what it looks like when they can no longer 'Make it work.'

"Support your local first responders!" the post states.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Stewartstown fire being investigated by fire officials