ORANGE — Two individuals were displaced by a fire that destroyed their home at 60 North Main St. Sunday night. An adult male suffered burns to one of his lower extremities and was treated at the scene of the two-alarm fire by Orange EMTs, transported to Athol Hospital and then transferred to a Boston hospital for further treatment. The single family home was a total loss.
The fire, reported to a neighbor by the homeowner, was investigated by Orange Police, State Police assigned to the Office of the State Fire Marshal and the Orange Fire Department. In a joint statement late Monday, State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey and Orange Fire Chief James Young stated the cause of the fire was attributed to adding a combustible liquid to the woodstove.
Chief Young said, “The conditions were very tough for firefighters. Sub-zero temperatures led to dangerous icy conditions and several firefighters fell on the ice. We wish everyone a speedy recovery.” He noted that extreme temperatures and frozen hydrants hampered their efforts.
At approximately 10:21 p.m., on duty crews were notified by Shelburne Control Dispatch of the structure fire on North Main Street. A first alarm was transmitted, calling in all off duty and on duty personnel. While enroute to the scene, a glow from the fire was visible, and a working fire assignment was struck. As units arrived, the two-story house from the front, and three stories in the rear was fully involved with heavy flames showing from two sides. A second alarm was immediately transmitted.
According to the fire department, the first due engine tagged the nearest hydrant to deploy the deck gun and ladder pipe in an attempt to make a quick knockdown of the fire. That hydrant was determined to be unusable due to the extreme cold temperature, and there was a slight period of time that water was unavailable as crews located, cleaned out and set up additional hydrants. Once a water supply was established, fire suppression efforts resumed, with concentration on protecting the exposure buildings. The fire building subsequently suffered a total collapse. Multiple hand lines, deck guns, and ladder pipes were in operation for several hours to bring the fire under control. The negative degree temperature and wind chill reached into the -20s. The extremely cold temperatures, coupled with the wind chill proved making scene operations very difficult, and dangerous. The fire was stubborn, and “pockets” of fire were scattered throughout the collapsed building. Equipment from E.W. Sykes Excavating was called in to assist with debris removal so extinguishment could continue.
Throughout the fire, crews were rotated in the Department of Fire Services Rehab Unit to get warm and hydrated.
The Athol Salvation Army Canteen truck responded to the scene at about 11 p.m. Four SA volunteers provided firefighters with soup, sandwiches, coffee, water and Gatorade, and were at the scene until about 4 a.m.
The Salvation Army is assisting the family, who lost everything in the blaze, including their wallets, eyeglasses and vehicle. Salvation Army Lt. Melissa Lowell said the residents are in the process of trying to obtain new IDs “which is quite difficult without existing IDs,” she said.
Jeff Cole, owner of Witty’s Funeral Home is accepting monetary donations for the family. Donations may be mailed to 158 South Main St., Orange, MA 01364.
There were reports of animals inside the building, and unconfirmed reports that a dog may have gotten loose and was in the neighborhood. No animals have been located.
During the fire many firefighters took falls due to the icy conditions, and three firefighters were injured due to those falls. The highway department was called in to treat the road surfaces.
Two mutual aid firefighters were transported by Northfield Ambulance to Athol Hospital and subsequently treated and released. One Orange firefighter sought treatment after the fire and was also treated and released. Names and injury status will not be released.
According to the fire department, the conditions were extremely tough to fight a fire in, and many veteran members stated these were the coldest conditions they have ever had to deal with.
Fire Marshal Ostroskey said, It’s important to know how to use a wood stove safely and one important point is never to add a flammable or combustible liquid to a woodstove. They are not designed to hold the rapid expansion of the vapors. “For more information on heating safety go to: www.mass.gov/keepwarmkeepsafe.
Chief Young stated, “Our thoughts remain with the family who has been affected, and we hope for a speedy recovery to those injured.”
The Orange Fire Department made a public statement to those posting what the department considers inappropriate and judgemental comments on social media regarding the cause of the fire, stating “They will not be tolerated on this page. Accidents happen, and this family has lost everything. Please show some compassion and understanding in this situation.”