At approximately 1:30 am, the Bellefonte Fire Department was dispatched to a possible structure fire at 105 Curtin St in the borough of Bellefonte.  A Bellefonte police officer arrived on scene and reported heavy smoke coming from the 3rd story historic Bellefonte mansion.  The 138 year old mansion had been converted into an apartment building many years ago.

According to reports in the CDT, the fire was electrical in nature and started in the 2 foot crawl space between the third floor apartments and the mansard roof.  The fire was found by residents of the third floor who were awoken to the sounds and smell of a fire.  While investigating, they noticed a glowing coming from a hallway closet that opened up to the roof crawl space.  They preceded to evacuate the buildings nine occupants while calling 911. 

First arriving units tried an interior attack to stop the fire but with heavy fire venting from the third floor, the IC issued the first of two evacuations at 2:19 am and an accountability check of all personnel on scene.

Outside master streams and hand lines were then used to nock down the fire.  After a bulk of the fire was knocked down, crews returned to interior operations but with confined space, fire growing and localized collapses. Command issued another evacuation order at about 2:52.   

The Alpha Fire Company engines went available at approximately 7:40 am.  Shortly after that, command special called tower 517 to the scene for equipment that neither of the Bellefonte trucks carried.  In total, crews operated at the scene for about 9 hours.

- - - -Alpha Fire Units on scene: Engines 510, 514, & 513; Tower 517.  Also on scene, Company 1 and 2 (Bellefonte) and apparatus form Boalsburg, Centre Hall, Pleasant Gap, Walker Township, Milesburg and Port Matilda fire companies responded to the scene.  Also on scene was Ambulance 26 for standby and rehab and representatives of the American Red Cross.