For Immediate Release

Monday, Dec. 12, 2016

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Gloucester Fire Department Extinguishes House Fire on Nashua Avenue

GLOUCESTER — Chief Eric Smith reports that the Gloucester Fire Department extinguished a house fire on Nashua Avenue last night.

On Sunday, Dec. 11, the fire department received a call from a resident just before 8 p.m. about a possible fire at 51 Nashua Ave. Upon arrival, firefighters were met with heavy smoke on every floor of the three-story, wood frame, single-family dwelling.

Neighbors reported that the residence is typically used as a summer house and was currently unoccupied. Crews from Gloucester’s Bay View and Headquarters stations attempted to make entry into the house on the first floor, but were pushed back due to intense heat and smoke.

Firefighters from the West Gloucester and Magnolia stations arrived to assist, and crews were then able to deploy additional hose lines and enter the home through the basement.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze within 20 minutes, and moved on to ventilating the three floors, which were filled with smoke. Crews remained on scene for two hours checking for extension and overhauling the building. They determined the fire had originated in the basement after the electrical breaker short circuited. An initial investigation determined that a domestic water pipe had frozen and then burst, causing water to infiltrate the home and into the circuit breaker.

Crews cleared the scene at 10:40 p.m. No injuries were reported.

According the the Gloucester Assessor’s Department, the building is assessed at $1.5 million and damages are estimated to be $175,000.

“Gloucester firefighters did an excellent job quickly putting out this fire, especially given the intense heat and smoke conditions,” Chief Smith said. “They implemented skills learned in a recent training to prevent fire growth and to best attack the flames.”

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