In September 1940, the Philadelphia Inquirer ran a news feature on the efforts to fight forest fires in the wilderness just north of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The men tasked with fighting these woodland fires were largely unemployed former mineworkers from the collieries at Wiconisco and Lykens in northern Dauphin County.

From the Philadelphia Inquirer, September 29, 1940:

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To combat the inevitable autumn menace in Pennsylvania’s mountains – forest fires – the State’s “smoke-eating” woodland defenders are on the job.

Their highly organized fire fighting system includes 145 observation towers, 106 of which are equipped with short wave sending and receiving sets. Carelessness of transients is the commonest cause of forest blazes, which last year damaged 72,327 acres.

While 1940 reports are incomplete, officials believe that the $193,220 loss can be reduced this year if proper care is taken.

Large capacity tank extinguishers shooting high pressure streams of water are used to put out a hot spot on the fire line at State Forest, Dauphin County. Chemicals are not used for general purposes by forest fire fighters. So far this year, forest fires in Pennsylvania have affected 34,000 acres representing a $70,000 loss.

At the end of a line of workers who are raking a trail for back-firing against a forest fire are Edward Minnich and Claude Pinkerton, of Lykens, Pa., and Alfred Smith of Wiconisco, Pa. In the past few years Pennsylvania’s forest fires have been cut to about 14 acres per fire, which, according to officials, is a fair average.

Edward Rudy, of Harrisburg, operates a Rowland Allegheny fire trencher which is capable of digging a fire line through the thickest brush. The machine was invented by Horace B. Rowland, assistant to the State’s Chief Fire Warden. While most fires are caused by carelessness, some are the work of incendiaries. A blaze can usually be traced to its source by experts.

George H. Wirt, Chief Fire Warden of Pennsylvania, receives a forest fire report at his Harrisburg office. He fixes the exact location of the fire on his map by the triangulation method.

Stony Mountain tower, 12 miles east of the Susquehanna River in Dauphin County, is 60 feet high. Airplanes are available to carry fire fighting equipment, which can be landed by parachute.

Marlin Messner, Lykens, Pa., reports a forest fire by radio transmission from Stony Mountain observation tower. From March to June and from September to December, the seasons for most forest fires, towermen are constantly on duty. Stony Mountain tower looms high over the valley which contains Harrisburg’s newest reservoir. In this basin are also six radio relay stations.

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