Four‑alarm fire in south Bethlehem draws wide mutual‑aid response; city and fire union press staffing steps

A four‑alarm fire that swept the roof and upper floors of a multi‑story building in south Bethlehem last week drew 87 firefighters through mutual aid and left dozens of residents temporarily displaced, city and fire officials said at the Bethlehem City Council meeting.

The fire “was challenging and very equipment‑ and personnel‑dependent,” Chief Reich said in a council report, and “the real thanks goes to the firefighters that were on duty that day.” Mayor Reynolds and multiple council members publicly thanked the department, mutual‑aid partners and community organizations for rescue, shelter and coordination efforts.

Why it matters: The incident exposed both the city’s capacity to coordinate a major response and the pressure that long‑running staffing shortfalls place on daily operations. Fire union leaders and the chief told council they are pursuing immediate staffing increases at a northwest station and continuing a plan to run a second academy this year.

City and department response Chief Reich described a fast‑moving roof fire exacerbated by strong gusting winds that spread fire along the building’s top. He said 18 firefighters were on duty when the incident began, additional city crews were called in and mutual‑aid partners — including Allentown, Bethlehem Township, Easton and several nearby volunteer departments — supplemented the response. “We couldn’t do it by ourselves,” Reich said.

Health and housing coordination was run through the city’s Health Bureau and a temporary emergency operations center at Northampton Community College, officials said. The Red Cross and the county’s animal‑care team assisted residents and pets; the building owner and management company arranged short‑term hotel rooms for many tenants while insurance and content‑replacement reviews proceed.

Mike Simonson, the city’s building inspector, said teams are conducting room‑by‑room assessments and working with restoration contractors to restore power and put temporary roofing in place. He said it may be “some time” before units are safe to reoccupy and that priority is safety and code compliance before allowing residents back in.

Staffing, training and next steps The fire renewed discussion of a staffing shortage the union and chief have raised for months. Lou Jimenez, president of Bethlehem Firefighters Local 735, urged the city to “properly staff our northwest fire station, Engine 9, with one officer and two firefighters every hour of every day across all four platoons.” He said the station protects a rapidly growing part of the city and that insufficient staffing “creates unnecessary risks.”

Chief Reich and city officials said the department has already sent recruits to academy training and planned a second academy this year. Reich told council the city spent about $525,000 to train 30 new personnel so far and expects more hires to arrive in the coming months; those classes do not include salaries, he said. Reich and union leaders also said they have asked for a third‑party staffing study to plan longer‑term needs.

Council members pressed for timelines and delivery of follow‑up information. Mayor Reynolds and staff said they would continue coordination on rehousing displaced residents, building assessments and staffing plans; Simonson and the Health Bureau will provide status updates as repairs and inspections proceed.

Council reaction and follow‑up Council members repeatedly praised the coordinated response and asked staff to report back on rehousing progress for displaced residents and on whether small, short‑term funds are needed to help affected small businesses recover while insurance claims proceed. Reich described available post‑incident mental‑health and rehabilitation supports for firefighters, including peer check‑ins, employee‑assistance programs and critical‑incident counseling if needed.

Ending: City officials said they will continue regular updates to council as building assessments, insurance claims and rehousing decisions progress. No vote or ordinance related to the fire response was taken at the meeting.