FITCHBURG — Firefighters responded to a fire in a bedroom in a house at Avon Place downtown on Sunday, just before midnight.
Initially, the caller had reported to dispatch that smoke could be seen coming from a bedroom door in the residence and the door was locked.
Group 4 companies responded to house and first arriving crews reported heavy smoke and fire showing from a second story window.
Companies quickly stretched multiple attack lines, gained roof access via aerial ladder and established a water supply. A quick knockdown of the fire was made and extensive overhaul was conducted to check for extension. The fire was contained to the single bedroom.
All residents, including two people and three pets, were safely evacuated from the building, according to the Fitchburg Fire Department Assistant Chief Patrick Haverty, but they were displaced and can’t return to the house yet. There were no injuries reported.
Fire Department officials said “We thank Red Cross and our neighboring communities who assisted during the incident.”
Suspicious fires
Haverty said the fire on Sunday “does not appear to be related to the other fires at this time.”
This fire comes on the heels of city and state officials investigating a trio of suspicious fires that took place in February on Blossom and Day streets and Myrtle Avenue as arson. A press release urged anyone with information or tips to share it with the Arson Watch Rewards Program at 800-682-9229, with calls confidential and remaining anonymous an option.
Police Chief Steve Giannini stated in the release at the time, “I’m asking everyone in our community to stay alert and pay attention to anything unusual in your surroundings. If you see something that doesn’t seem right, trust your instincts and report it. If you have any information about these incidents, no matter how minor it may seem, please come forward. Even the smallest detail could make a difference.”
Two of the fires took place on Feb. 14 and 15 in a large apartment building with entrances at 43 Blossom St. and 40 Day St. Fitchburg firefighters successfully extinguished both fires before they could spread substantially. The third took place on Feb. 18 about half a mile away at a multi-family home at 164 Myrtle Ave. and went to two alarms, with one person suffering injuries that were not life-threatening and seven people displaced.
“The Fitchburg Fire Department, Fitchburg Police, and State Police assigned to the State Fire Marshal’s Office are jointly investigating all three of these incidents,” State Fire Marshal Jon Davine said in the release. “We’ve reached the point where we can confidently say that they were intentionally set. We have not reached a determination as to whether the fires on Blossom and Day streets are related, but we always consider a link when suspicious fires are reported in close proximity.”
Comments