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By Edward Lewis elewis@timesleader.com
Staff Writer
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PLYMOUTH TWP. – Firefighters kept refilling a swimming pool for water Tuesday to battle a blaze that gutted a residence in a secluded area that has no hydrants.

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Fire crews from Tilbury and Plymouth work to suppress a fire at a home at 15 Towers Road in Plymouth Township on Tuesday morning. One firefighter is using water from a pool that was replenished by multiple tanker trunks from the Back Mountain.

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Fire crews from Tilbury and Plymouth battle a blaze at a home at 15 Towers Road in Plymouth Township on Tuesday. A state police deputy fire marshal will be asked to investigate the cause, Tilbury Volunteer Hose Co. Deputy Fire Chief Barry Lore said.

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Tilbury Volunteer Hose Co. Deputy Fire Chief Barry Lore said multiple tanker trucks throughout the Back Mountain were used to replenish the pool next to the burning house at 15 Towers Road.

A pumper truck then drew water from the pool to feed firefighters who battled the blaze that destroyed the home.

“It’s something you learn to do,” Lore said about using the pool. “It’s not something we practice every day, but it’s something that had to be done. We need water and we have to find it anywhere we can.”

Lore said firefighters from multiple agencies and the Back Mountain Tanker Task Force responded to the home in the Plymouth Village area of the township at about 9 a.m. A UGI utility crew working in the area had spotted smoke and called 911.

“(UGI crews) tried to see if anybody was home and they were pushed back by the heavy volume of fire that was already in the building,” Lore said.

No one was home at the time of the fire. No injuries were reported, but two dogs were lost in the fire, Lore said.

According to Luzerne County property records, the home is owned by James and Tina M. Kalinay, who reside at the residence with their son and daughter.

Lore said the mother and daughter had left the house about 30 minutes before UGI crews saw smoke.

Firefighters battled the fire for more than three hours before it was brought under control.

“There are no hydrants up here,” Lore said. “We’re working with the Back Mountain Tanker Task Force, which they were absolutely fantastic today.”

A small pumper truck parked in the yard began drawing water from the pool that was replenished by tanker trucks “shuttling” in-and-out, Lore said.

“Water supply was our biggest issue due to the fact there are no hydrants,” Lore said. “With the Tanker Task Force, we were able to maintain a constant water supply due to the amount of water the tankers are able to carry. The tankers shuttle out to get water and they keep backing in one at a time.”

Towers Road is near the top of Plymouth Mountain

“The problem with these kinds of fires up here, this is a very remote section of our town,” Lore said. “By the time the fire is noticed, flames are usually through the roof; that was the case today.”

Lore said he believes the fire originated in the rear of the house.

A state police deputy fire marshal will be asked to investigate to try to determine the cause, Lore said.