West End firefighters respond to Chestnuthill Township blaze near Brodheadsville on Tuesday, Dec. 9

CHESTNUTHILL TOWNSHIP, MONROE COUNTY — Firefighters contained a vehicle fire that broke out inside a residential garage on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, with all occupants evacuating safely before crews arrived.

West End Fire Company Station 43 and Blue Ridge Hook & Ladder Station 23 responded to the 100 block of Skyview Circle, a residential street in the Effort area of Chestnuthill Township, shortly before 5 p.m. Tuesday for reports of a structure fire involving a vehicle inside a garage. EMS Unit 8 from West End Community Ambulance staged at the scene as a precaution.

All occupants had evacuated by the time firefighters arrived. Crews brought the fire under control by 5:25 p.m.

No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

New Fire Facility Gets Early Test

The response marked an early test for West End Fire Company’s new Shared Emergency Services Facility on Route 715 in Brodheadsville, which became operational in January 2025. The $11.2 million building, located across from the Wawa, houses both the volunteer fire company and Lehigh Valley Health Network EMS crews, consolidating emergency services for the township’s 36.5 square miles in western Monroe County. West End operates stations in Brodheadsville, Mount Effort on Route 115, and Sun Valley.

Blue Ridge Hook & Ladder Station 23, based on Route 115 in Saylorsburg, responded under a mutual aid agreement that covers multiple Monroe County municipalities including Chestnuthill and neighboring Ross Township.

Winter Garage Fires Pose Added Risk

Vehicle fires in residential garages pose particular hazards during winter months when cars are started to warm up or when heating equipment is used in enclosed spaces. The National Fire Protection Association reports that heating fires peak between December and February, accounting for 46 percent of all home heating equipment fires annually. Temperatures in Monroe County dropped into the 20s this week.

West End Fire Company responded to 561 emergency calls in Monroe County in 2024, including three structure fires in December alone. The all-volunteer company serves Chestnuthill Township—home to the Pocono Mountains communities of Brodheadsville, Effort, and Sun Valley—and provides mutual aid to neighboring Monroe County townships including Polk, Jackson, Ross, Hamilton, Eldred, and Tunkhannock.

Anyone with information about the Dec. 9 fire is asked to contact the West End Fire Company at 570-992-4121 or the Pennsylvania State Police Stroudsburg Barracks at 570-619-6800, which provides police services in Chestnuthill Township and other Monroe County municipalities without local departments.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.