Screenshot of video shot by Rich Rolen.
NORTHAMPTON COUNTY – A large fire broke out Saturday evening at The Moon of Saucon Valley, formerly known as The Meadows, a popular banquet and event facility in Lower Saucon Township, just outside Hellertown.
An investigation into the fire is underway, according to the Lower Saucon Fire Rescue. Several entities, including the Lower Saucon Township Police and the Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshall are involved in the investigation.
What we know:
At almost 11 p.m. on Nov. 29, the Lower Saucon Fire Rescue and Township Police were alerted to multiple reports of a commercial structure fire on Meadows Road; multiple calls described the banquet hall as being “fully engulfed” in flames, according to a press release from Lower Saucon Fire Rescue.
“Due to the limited water supply via fire hydrants in the area combined with access restrictions due to the ongoing replacement of the Meadows Road Bridge, multiple water tanker units were required,” the press release reads.
Responding units were on scene for approximately 10 hours trying to put the fire out. A crew also returned to the scene of the fire Sunday afternoon to extinguish several hot spots in areas of the event facility which had collapsed.
Lower Saucon Fire Rescue was assisted by several departments from across three different counties – Lehigh, Bucks and Northampton – in responding to the fire.
Community response
What they’re saying:
Priscilla Deleon, a council member from Lower Saucon Township, responded to the fire in a post on Facebook.
“[I] extend my deepest gratitude to…all the members of the Lower Saucon Fire Rescue and all the other departments for your courageous response to the fire at The Meadows, The Moon of Saucon Valley,” she wrote. “Your professionalism, dedication and bravery in managing this dangerous situation are deeply appreciated by the entire community.”
The Hellertown Historical Society wrote in a Facebook post that it’s “devastated at the destruction of The Moon of Saucon Valley banquet hall.”
“Thank you to all the first responders who tirelessly give their time and experience in answer to these terrible tragedies,” the post reads. “Our community would be in a dire situation if not for these dedicated persons. It’s no secret that more volunteers are needed. It’s times like this that remind us we are all vulnerable to such events.”
Bob Kehm, superintendent of the Masonic Temple Association of Allentown, also spoke out on Facebook saying, “[i}f you, or someone you know, may have an event scheduled for The Moon of Saucon Valley and need a place to hold an event, feel free to contact the Allentown Masonic Temple Event Center in Allentown.”
“This is a big loss to Hellertown. To the owners, employees and patrons of this establishment, my deepest condolences,” he wrote. “I don’t know that we can accommodate all the disrupted events, but we will do our best to help in this horrible situation.”
What we don’t know:
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
The Source: Information from Lower Saucon Fire Rescue and Facebook.
Crime & Public SafetyNorthampton County
