Douglas House Fire Displaces Two
Douglas, Mass. - Firefighters battled a stubborn house fire for approximately three hours Tuesday Afternoon.
At approximately 2:05 pm on Tuesday, June 20th, 2023, the Douglas Fire Department was dispatched to 36 Birch Hill Rd for a reported kitchen fire. While on-duty personnel (3 Firefighters and 1 Chief) were en route, Acting Chief John Furno made the decision to strike a 2nd Alarm assignment based on information from dispatch and the knowledge that water would be an issue in this section of town.
According to Chief Furno, on his arrival, he had heavy smoke showing but no visible fire until firefighters made entry through the front door. Once inside, crews discovered a fire in a room to the C (rear) side of the structure.
Chief Furno detailed how he knew that Tankers and a draft site would be crucial to fighting the fire, as there are no hydrants in this portion of town. Departments from Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island all responded, under pre-established mutual aid agreements, to assist with the fire. A draft site (an apparatus using suction to pull from a body of water) was established at Wallum Lake and a Tanker shuttle was set up to truck water to the fire scene.
The fire appears to have extended from the main floor of the home up into the attic. Multiple holes were cut by firefighters on the roof in order to allow heat and smoke to escape the attic. Holes were also cut in the gable ends to further assist with evacuating smoke. With crews only able to fight the fire through these holes, and any access made by hand tools in the ceiling of the home, finding the source of the fire was a long and challenging process.
Chief Furno finished by saying “it is a very tight area with private streets, our initial crews were able to hold [the fire] until we got additional mutual aid. I couldn’t say I’m any prouder of our guys, and all of the firefighters here for the great work they did today.”
The Special Signal Fire Association Providence Canteen was on the scene providing water and snacks to firefighters as they exited the fire. This canteen unit is a critical unit on fire scenes allowing crews a place to sit and decompress as they operate on incidents of many severities in many types of weather conditions.
No injuries occurred to firefighters or civilians as a result of the fire.
The American Red Cross is assisting 2 occupants who were displaced by the fire.
This incident is currently under investigation by the Massachusets State Fire Marshal, with assistance from the District 7 Fire Investigation Unit
This was also the first structure fire for Douglas Fire Departments’ new Engine 1, a 2023 Pierce Saber Pumper. Chief Furno as well as firefighters working on the truck said it performed well for them on its first fire.
Agencies that responded, or were dispatched, included the Town of Douglas Fire Department, Webster Fire / Rescue Massachusetts, Dudley Fire Department, Uxbridge Fire Department, Northbridge Fire Department, Sutton Fire Department, East Putnam Fire Department, East Thompson Volunteer Fire Department, Pascoag Fire Department Webster Emergency Medical Services (Webster EMS) Massachusetts, Douglas PD, and Special Signal Fire Association / Providence Canteen
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