January 2013

The Wakefield Fire Department responded to 265 emergency incidents during the month of January including 44 box alarms and 221 still alarms.

The Department responded to four requests for mutual aid during January, twice to Melrose, and once each to Saugus and Lynn. It received mutual aid ten times in January, three times from Stoneham and once each from Reading, Melrose, Lynnfield, North Reading, Malden, Woburn and Saugus. Wakefield Engine 2 with a crew led by Lieutenant Kevin Carney responded to a working fire at 6 Athens Drive in Saugus during the evening of January 3. Wakefield Engine 2 covered Lynn’s Fayette Street station during a 3-alarm fire in that city on the morning of January 22. Wakefield Engine 2 and a crew led by Lieutenant Joseph Albert responded to a 2-alarm fire at 18 Lynde Street in Melrose during the evening of January 26.

Firefighters under the command of Captain Joseph Riley responded to a serious fire at the Northeast Regional Vocational School during the evening of January 8. Upon their arrival, they found a large fire underway in the carpentry shop. The 2-alarm fire caused an estimated $1 million in damage to the shop area and the roof immediately over it, requiring mutual aid from seven communities to extinguish it. There were no injuries as a result of the fire; however, the carpentry shop will remain closed until extensive repairs can be made. The fire is believed to have started when a spark from a tool or machinery in the carpentry area was sucked up into the shop’s dust collection system, igniting flammable dust inside the collection bags and duct work. The fire was made difficult to fight because the ductwork and roof had to be opened up to access the fire, a very labor intensive effort. The lack of a sprinkler system in the school also played a major role in the size of the fire and the damage caused by it.

Crews led by Captain Paul Pronco responded to a reported roof fire at 338 Rear Main Street on the morning of January 28. A roof-top heating unit malfunctioned and caught fire before being extinguished by workers using a portable extinguisher. Damage was confined to the heating unit on the roof. Smoke was vented from the top floor of the building and no occupied areas were damaged.

A fire in the attic of a residence at 9 Butternut Road was quickly contained by crews led by Captain Randy Hudson during the early morning of January 30. The cause of the fire is believed to be electrical in origin. Fire damage was contained to the attic area and the second floor ceiling immediately below the fire. The family was able to remain in the residence after the fire.

A dog that had wandered onto Crystal Lake and fell through the ice was rescued by crews under the command of Captain Paul Pronco during the morning of January 26. Firefighters arrived to find the dog with its head resting on the ice shelf in the lake. The rescue boat was launched immediately and the dog was removed from the water within 5 minutes. The dog appeared to be unharmed by the incident and its owner used good judgment in not trying to rescue the dog himself.

Incident Response Report

Fire Prevention Report