Inferno rips through mulch facility near Spring Grove on Sunday as high winds fan flames

Emergency responders continued to work early Monday morning, Oct. 20, to extinguish a massive multiple-alarm fire burning through a mulch facility just outside of Spring Grove.

Crews were originally dispatched to the Oldcastle APG Lawn and Garden facility on the 500 block of Old Hanover Road about 2:44 p.m. for a report of a brush fire on Sunday, Oct. 19, according to York County 911 records.

Instead of a routine brush fire, firefighters arrived and found intense fire throughout a massive pile of mulch, which then spread into several buildings and vehicles at the facility, as well as into the woods behind the facility.

A second alarm was requested, along with dozens more units requested to the scene.

Fire departments from multiple states and counties responded.

The fire was fanned by strong winds, with the National Weather Service in State College reporting gusts of up to 47 mph throughout the region.

Explosions could be heard at the scene as hydraulic equipment and other machinery burned.

Commercial water tankers were requested to the scene to shuttle water from a fill site at the York Fairgrounds while the fire strained local water supply. Fuel trucks were also requested to the scene while fire apparatus operated for an extended period of time.

Old Hanover Road was shut down by fire police between West Jackson Street and Colonial Valley Road during the incident.

A Maryland State Police helicopter was called in to assist with monitoring the scene from the air.

The facility was formerly occupied by H&H General Excavating, which was acquired by Oldcastle APG in March of 2025.