The first hose company in the borough of St

SAINT CLAIR EMERGENCY SERVICES

Hope Hose Co.	Columbia Rescue No. 2	Alert Rescue No. 1	West End No. 5
Rescue Hook & Ladder No. 3	East Mines Phoenix Hose No. 4	Wadesville Rainbow Hose Co.	Independent Hose Co.
Memorial Fires	SAINT CLAIR FIRE COMPANIES' Web Site			Veteran's Memorial Ambulance

Some of the most memorable fires recorded in town are:

· August 1856, St. Clair Shaft breaker and other buildings burned, Carroll St.

· 1866 St. Clair Shaft breaker again burned.

· St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 1911 - fire destroyed wooden breaker at St. Clair Coal Co.

· 1909 North Morris St. fire

· January 3, 1922 at 1:40 AM; SS Peter & Paul Church, North Mill Street

· August 28, 1928 and again on March 5, 1930; the Tru-Built Shirt Factory, North Second Street

· July 3, 1930; a brush fire in East Mines, causing damage to six house roofs

· Primitive Methodist Church, struck by lightning May 1, 1930, and again in May 1986;

· Freeman fire in the 5/10 store in the Boone building

· Ed Quirin Machine Shop fire, North Front Street, on July 24, 1947

· American Legion fire on April 6, 1973 at 4 AM.

· 1975 - Good Friday - Clair Fashions on South Mill St. (former Squib factory)

· 1977 St. Clair Railroad Station on North Third St.

· 1989 "John's Mansion" located on North Nichols Street in the "Patch"

American Legion fire on April 4, 1973 A Senior Citizen Apartment Complex now occupies the lot where the Legion mansion once was.
1909 Fire on North Morris Street
Fire on Carroll and 2nd Streets
October 19, 1977 fire that destroyed the old Railroad Depot on corner of North Third Street.

The Hope Fire Company

The Hope Hose Co. #1 was organized in 1867. This was the town's 1st fire department. The president was D.J. Rice. The Hope company folded and equipment given to Columbia Hose Co. It reorganized again in 1880 with the following officers; Thomas Baker, president; John Baker, secretary; and P.D. Conroy, treasurer. They met in the Borough building.

The Columbia Hose Company No. 2

This company was organized in 1868 and at 132 years old, and is the oldest company in the borough. The first charter members were; John Bosche, Nicholas Neider, Lewis Krebs, Edwin Brown, and Joseph Cox. Officers were; Llewellyn Jones, president; James Jones, recording secretary; Charles Short, financial secretary and William Baldwin, treasurer. It was organized in a small house in Saint Clair and application for charter was made in December 1872. The Hose House on Front & Lawton Streets was built in 1893. The first hand carriage that the company had been the second oldest carriage in Schuylkill County. The company motorized in 1920. In January 1922, the building burned to the ground, but the truck was saved. The present Hose House was built in December 1927.

Columbia Hose Web site