February 2024

The Wakefield Fire Department responded to 301 emergency incidents during the month of February 2024 including 18 box alarms and 383 still alarms. The department responded to one request for mutual aid during February to Saugus. The department received mutual aid ten times during February, three times from Reading, twice from Lynnfield and once each from Melrose, North Reading, Saugus, Stoneham and Woburn. A crew from Engine 2 led by Lieutenant Sean Curran assisted the Saugus Fire Department at the scene of a 2-alarm fire at 8 Atherton Street during the morning of February 10.

Firefighters under the command of Captain John Walsh responded to a reported house fire at 21 Forest Street at 10:41 AM. on February 9. They arrived to find a small cape-style residence with heavy smoke from the second-floor windows and eaves. Fire quickly appeared at a rear second-floor window as first arriving companies started to stretch hose lines. Captain Walsh ordered a second alarm for more personnel at 10:51 A.M., bringing engine companies from Melrose, Reading and Stoneham to the fire as well as a North Reading Ladder truck. The fire was brought under control in about 45 minutes, causing considerable fire, smoke and water damage to the home. The sole occupant of the home was at work at the time. He will be displaced for an extended period until repairs can be made. Troopers from the State Fire Marshal’s Office were called in to work with local fire investigators in determining a cause for the fire. It was eventually determined that a space heater which had been left operating on the second floor at the time of the fire inadvertently ignited nearby combustibles, starting the fire. One Wakefield firefighter was taken by ambulance to Melrose-Wakefield Hospital for heat exhaustion where he was treated and released later that day. A Woburn and a Saugus engine along with a Lynnfield Ladder truck covered Wakefield Fire Headquarters during the fire.

Wakefield fire crews led by Captain Randy Hudson responded to a reported house fire at 28 Mansfield Drive at 9:17 A.M. on February 29. Firefighters arrived to find an outside fire in a mulch bed located adjacent to the home had been whipped up by the wind and extended to the vinyl siding and wood sheathing of the home. Fortunately, the fire was quickly discovered by a resident and knocked down with the use of a garden hose. The area was thoroughly checked and wet down by firefighters. Thermal imaging cameras were then used to confirm that the fire had been completely extinguished. Residents informed firefighters that they had been smoking in the area of the fire during windy conditions. This area was examined and it was quickly determined that hot ashes had dropped down into the mulch bed, igniting it before the wind pushed the fire into the vinyl siding and wood sheathing of the home. There were no injuries to either residents or firefighters and the residents were able to remain in the home once the incident was resolved.

All department members participated in Emergency Medical Technician training classes as part of their annual continuing education requirements, including recertifying their CPR certificates. All groups conducted ice rescue drills in February utilizing the department’s survival suits and rescue ropes. Additional drills on the proper use of the department’s aerial and ground ladders was conducted. Members drilled on supplemental fire sprinkler systems and on conducting firefighting operations using building fire standpipe systems. The department conducted quarterly inspections of all public and private schools, nursing homes, boarding houses and hotels during February.

Incident Response Report

Fire Prevention Report