The Wakefield Fire Department responded to 242 emergency incidents during the month of January including 34 box alarms and 208 still alarms.
The Department responded to 4 mutual aid requests during January, twice to Melrose and once each to Saugus and Malden. The department received mutual aid five times during the month of January, twice each from Stoneham and Reading and once from Lynnfield.
Wakefield Engine 2 assisted the Malden Fire Department at a six alarm fire in a 5 story apartment complex at 505 Pleasant Street during the morning of January 9th. A crew from Engine 2 responded to a working fire at the Square One shopping mall in Saugus during the evening of January 18th.
All duty shifts received training on electrical hazards involving power lines, substations and associated equipment during the month of January. This training, conducted by the Northeast Public Power Association, was sponsored by the Wakefield Municipal Gas & Light Department.
Firefighters under the command of Captain Joseph Riley responded to a serious house fire at 150 Broadway on Saturday January 16th. Although the structure itself was saved a family of six will be displaced for an extended period until repairs to the building are completed. A pipe soldering operation in the bathroom was the cause of this fire. Captain Riley’s group was again called into action during the evening of January 24th when a ceiling fan/light fixture in a bathroom ceiling malfunctioned, starting a fire. This fire was quickly contained to the immediate area over the bathroom. Seven residents of this two-family were displaced for several days while repairs were completed.
Crews under the command of Captain David Myette responded to a report of a burning electrical service at the Lincoln School housing facility at 26 Crescent Street on January 27th. The incident, caused when a vehicle accidentally struck a ground level transformer, was quickly brought under control by the Wakefield Light Department. Power was shut down for a short period while the transformer was replaced however no evacuation of the building was required.
