GROVELAND — Acting Fire Chief Daniel Briscoe reports that the Groveland Fire Department and its mutual aid partners responded to a three-alarm fire in a multi-family residence on Center Street on Monday.
On Monday, May 2, at 6:04 p.m., the Groveland Fire Department responded to a report of a fire 182 Center St, a two-story, two-family dwelling. Firefighters arrived on scene to find heavy fire showing and quickly called for a second and third alarm response, sending mutual aid firefighters from several nearby communities to assist.
Fire companies quickly established a water supply and began attacking the fire from inside and outside of the building. The heavy fire was knocked down at 6:37 p.m. and declared under control at 7:22.
There were no reported injuries, and at least one rabbit was successfully rescued from the home.
Firefighters from West Newbury, Amesbury, Newbury, Merrimac, Haverhill, Lawrence, Georgetown, Boxford and Topsfield provided mutual aid. The Fire Chiefs of Newbury, West Newbury and Lawrence all arrived to assist as well.
TrinityEMS responded to the scene with an ambulance and its firefighter rehabilitation unit. The Groveland Building Inspector, the Groveland Municipal Electric Department and National Grid Gas also responded to the scene to assist with utilities connected to the home.
Acting Chief Briscoe praised the responding firefighters for their aggressive work, which contained the majority of the fire damage to an attached two-car garage. Two vehicles inside and the garage itself were destroyed. The right dwelling sustained some fire, smoke and water damage. The entire home was deemed uninhabitable until repairs could be made. Six residents were displaced and were staying with family.
The Groveland Fire Department, which has some staffing from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. is 100% “on call” after 4 p.m., meaning that its fire stations are not staffed and the department relies on dedicated residents to respond when the alarm sounds. The first responding fire crews, coming from their homes, to the two fire stations, were dispatched at 6:04 p.m., were at their station by 6:07 and arrived on scene at 6:09.
“Our firefighters worked quickly and aggressively to save this home from becoming a total loss,” Acting Chief Briscoe said. “I want to also thank our extensive and dedicated mutual aid partners who came into Groveland not only to help work the fire scene but also to provide station coverage during the incident. Mutual aid is a vital resource for our fire departments in the Merrimack Valley.”
The origin and cause of the fire are under investigation by the Groveland Police and Fire Departments, with assistance from the State Police Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit assigned to the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
School Street, also known as Rt. 97, was closed in both directions from approximately 6-7 p.m. due to firefighting operations.
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