James Vuona, Fire Chief
11 Church Road
Shrewsbury, MA 01545
For Immediate Release
Friday, Dec. 14, 2018
Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-9003
Shrewsbury Firefighters Quickly Extinguish Basement Fire
SHREWSBURY — Chief James Vuona reports that the Shrewsbury Fire Department made quick work of a basement fire on Friday morning, thanks to an aggressive attack by the first arriving firefighters.
Firefighters responded to 559 South St. at 10:51 a.m. after receiving a call about an activated smoke detector. Engine 3 was the first fire company on scene and found the building locked. At first, firefighters did not see anything out of the ordinary after walking around the perimeter of the home. Then a firefighter reported smoke coming from one corner of the basement.
Firefighters forced their way into the home and found a heavy smoke condition in the basement that resulted in very poor visibility inside. Firefighters soon located a fire in a kitchen area of the basement. Engine 3’s firefighters quickly extinguished the fire and it was determined that while there was damage to the kitchen area, the fire had not spread to the rest of the home.
A family dog was located hiding under a bed on the first floor of the house, and firefighters safely brought the dog to a neighbor.
No one was injured. The origin and cause of the fire are under investigation by the Shrewsbury Fire Department and the Massachusetts State Fire Marshal’s Office. Firefighters on scene noted the presence of a toe kick heater in the kitchen in their incident reports.
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