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A 911 call came in at 5:33 p.m. Tuesday from a neighbor reporting black smoke coming from the front door of a house on Alden Street, fire officials said.
Four engines, a ladder, a rescue, and a shift commander were dispatched, with Engine 1 first on the scene. Upon arrival, firefighters found a two-story wood-frame residence with heavy smoke coming out at 182 Alden St.
Upon making entry, firefighters found a heavy fire in the kitchen, which they attacked, while Rescue 1 personnel completed a search of the second floor to confirm that all residents were out of the home.
With smoke pushing from the eaves above the second floor, the next arriving Engine Company checked that area for fire while Ladder 2 personnel shut off utilities in the basement.
Incident commander Assistant Fire Chief George Gomola declared a recall of alarm at 5:45 p.m. Representatives from the Fire Marshal’s Office and Building Department arrived to investigate the fire, which appeared to have started in the area of the dishwasher.
“Our firefighters, led by Lt. Brian McHugh, did an excellent job of quickly extinguishing this fire and preventing fire extension to the second floor and the attic," Gomola said. "Given the lack of working smoke detectors we are extremely fortunate this fire happened when it did. If this fire had occurred during the middle of the night it could have resulted in extreme tragedy.
“The importance of checking smoke detectors and ensuring that they are in proper working order cannot be over stated. Please check your smoke detectors.”
The last fire crew cleared the scene at 7:05 p.m.
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