William F. Spillane
Chief of Department, CFO
436 Washington St.
Dedham, MA 02026
For Immediate Release
Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2015
Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net
Dedham Firefighters Battle Fire, Elements Early Wednesday Morning
DEDHAM — Fire Chief William F. Spillane reports that the Dedham Fire Department battled an early morning 2-alarm house fire Wednesday.
Firefighters responded to 83 Hyde Park St. at 4:20 a.m. for a reported fire. Two residents of the home were alerted by an activated and properly working smoke detector and were able to exit the home before fire crews arrived.
The first arriving engine company reported smoke coming from the basement, and a second alarm was struck immediately due to the extreme cold and snow-packed conditions.
Firefighters entered the home for an initial interior attack on the fire but were soon forced to revert to a defensive mode with the partial collapse of the first floor into the basement.
The fire was under control within 45 minutes, however.
“Weather conditions early this morning made firefighting operations extremely difficult, with a large amount of snow hampering our hose lines and efforts to locate fire hydrants,” Chief Spillane said. “Our Dedham Firefighters did an excellent job under the circumstances, however.”
The Dedham Fire Department had additional on-duty firefighters working shifts during and immediately after the blizzard, which played a significant role in ensuring a safe and efficient operation. No one was injured.
State and Dedham investigators determined that the fire was an accident. An unattended electric space heater in the basement is being investigated as a potential contributing factor.
Dedham Fire received mutual aid assistance from Westwood, Needham, Norwood, Quincy, and Boston.
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