As hours of heavy snowfall settled on the area, a fire broke out near the Caroline/Talbot County line. At 09:04 members were turned out for a report of a dwelling fire in the area of Tuckahoe Road and New Bridge Road. In blizzard conditions members responded to the area. Chief-3 (D/C Porter) arrived to find a single story ranch type house with heavy fire from the rear. Tuckahoe road was found to be impassible to heavy snowdrifts as high as four feet. As Engine-304 arrived the decision was made to take the engine as far as possible to the scene despite these perilous conditions. Nature proved to over power machine by stopping the engine approximately 1000 feet short of the home. The firemen were reduced to firefighting tactics reminiscent of a century prior when men would line up hoisting their leather buckets from man to man to dump water on the fire. The firemen loaded hose on to their shoulders and carried the hose, forming that familiar human caterpillar to the house 1000 feet away. Section by section foot by foot, the firemen fought their way through the howling winds and mounting drifts to stretch hose lines to the house and began an attack on the mounting fire. After facing treacherous driving conditions of their own mutual aid companies were able to arrive. They brought with them four-wheel drive vehicles, which then expedited the fire attack. Despite the valiant and tireless efforts of all the firemen involved, the heavy winds finally blew the flames through the entire home. Three hours later the fire was finally brought under control. The flames whipped by the heavy winds and inhibiting snow conditions had rendered the home regrettably a total loss.
