Tamaqua firefighters responding to a house fire early Wednesday encountered far more than they bargained for.

For starters, the burning house was located at a spot with limited access.The century-old duplex was built at the retaining wall of the Little Schuylkill River at a dead-end street.To arrive at the scene, firetrucks had to maneuver around heavy downtown traffic on Route 309 on hectic Hometown Auction Wednesday.Then, rounding the corner to Water Street, access to the blaze was blocked by an illegally parked car.The thoughtless driver, believed to be visiting a nearby day care, gave no consideration to the fact that emergency vehicles might need to pass by.What if a life had been at stake when every moment of a fast response is critical?But things only got worse from there.As volunteer firefighters tackled the second-floor blaze, one or possibly two young thieves deployed a sinister scheme by stealing from the firetrucks.They snatched $13,000 worth of radios and other emergency equipment.As they say, you just can't make this stuff up.One of the juveniles took items from the trucks, then placed them in a Jeep parked in the backyard at 225-227 Pine St. The items included radios, radio charging stations, hand tools, flashlights, breathing apparatus and more.Luckily, the culprit was caught. Police were searching for a possible accomplice."I thought I'd seen everything, but …" said disheartened Fire Chief Tom Hartz Jr. following the fiasco.As for the blaze, Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshal trooper John Burns determined it had been deliberately set.Could it have been done by the thief, setting the stage for the heist of equipment?Police will get to the bottom of it.But Wednesday's debacle illustrates the frustrations that can be faced by first responders.In this case, thoughtless motorists and conniving reprobates created unexpected obstacles for our everyday heroes whose only concern was to save lives and property.In fact, putting out the fire within minutes might've been the easiest part of the emergency.Truth is, the Tamaqua Fire Department's quick response prevented the blaze from spreading to adjoining buildings in the crowded, residential neighborhood - an accomplishment made even more noteworthy given the unusual circumstances under which they performed their work.Hats off to Tamaqua firefighters for an outstanding job despite unexpected obstacles.By Donald R. Serfass |

dserfass@tnonline.com