Stoneham Firefighters battle a blaze at 36 Gould St., early Friday morning. (Courtesy Stoneham Fire Department) 
Stoneham Firefighters battle a blaze at 36 Gould St., early Friday morning. (Courtesy Stoneham Fire Department) 
Stoneham Firefighters battle a blaze at 36 Gould St., early Friday morning. (Courtesy Stoneham Fire Department)
STONEHAM — Chief Matthew Grafton reports that the Stoneham Fire Department responded to a fire in a home on Franklin Street and a two-alarm fire in a home on Gould Street overnight.
On Thursday, Nov. 14 at approximately 10:10 p.m., the Stoneham Fire Department was called to 1170 Franklin St., by a resident who called 911 to report a fire in his home. The resident tried to smother the fire with towels before evacuating the home.
Companies arrived to find a fire that was mostly out thanks to the actions of the resident. Firefighters used extinguishers to ensure the fire was out and that no hot spots remained. The resident suffered an injury while trying to put out the fire, but was evaluated by EMS and declined to be transported to a local hospital.
Hours later, at approximately 5:17 a.m., the Stoneham Fire Department was called to 36 Gould St., by 911 calls from residents reporting a fire in their home. The residents reported hearing crackling upstairs and that they lost power in part of the home.
Companies arrived to find heavy smoke showing from the attic of a 2-1/2 story home. Firefighters from Engine 1 initially entered the home to battle the blaze but found heavy fire in the attic. A firefighter from Ladder 1 who went onto the home’s roof to ventilate had his leg go through the roof, so Capt. Dave Eastman ordered firefighters to take a defensive posture and get out of and off the building based on concerns about the home’s structural integrity.
Companies then used blitz guns and deck guns to knock down the bulk of the flames and reassessed the structure before once again taking an offensive posture and entering the home. Crews then opened up ceilings on the second floor to attack the fire from below, knocking down all the flames by about 6:15 a.m.
A firefighter suffered a leg injury while battling the blaze, but there were no other reported injuries.
On Gould Street, firefighters from Melrose, Wakefield, Reading, Woburn, Saugus and Winchester provided mutual aid, while firefighters from Medford and Malden covered Stoneham stations. Stoneham Police and Armstrong Ambulance also assisted on scene, and the Stoneham electrical and building inspectors responded as well.
Five residents were displaced by the fire on Gould Street, and the American Red Cross of Massachusetts was on scene to provide those residents assistance. The home appears to be a total loss.
The cause of both fires remain under investigation by the Stoneham Fire Investigation Unit and the State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit attached to the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
The fires were the second and third to occur within the 24-hour shift of the department’s Group 1. Firefighters also extinguished a two-alarm blaze on Marble Street on Thursday afternoon.
Chief Grafton credited all of Group 1 for their response. The group is led by Capt. Eastman and Lt. Rick Darragh.
“The group was exhausted but pushed through and responded to each fire efficiently and professionally,” said Chief Grafton. “This is the first time since the 1990s that we’ve had more than one multiple alarm fire in 24 hours.”