Overview:
A three-alarm fire caused significant structural damage to a multi-family home in Winchendon on Tuesday night. All occupants had evacuated the building, but several cats were still inside. Firefighters were able to rescue the cats and return them to their owners. The fire was contained to the second and third floors, but the roof was destroyed. Three residents and one firefighter were treated for burn injuries. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
WINCHENDON – A three-alarm fire destroyed the roof and caused significant structural damage to a multi-family home at 23 Brown St. in Winchendon late Tuesday night.
The fire was reported at 11:17 p.m. According to a release from the Winchendon Fire Department, the caller informed the dispatcher that all occupants had evacuated the three-story, five-unit building, but several cats were still inside.
Firefighters conducting a search of the building were able to locate the cats and return them to their owners.
The first crews on the scene attempted to gain access through a second-story apartment but were driven back by heat and flames. When the department’s ladder truck arrived on the scene “an aggressive attack on the second floor was conducted,” according to the release.
Once off-duty Winchendon firefighters and mutual aid units arrived, crews were able to ventilate the roof and provide some relief from the heat for crews working the interior.
“The fire was mainly contained to the second and third floors, but the roof is gone,” Winchendon Fire Chief Tom Smith told the Athol Daily News. “The whole building sustained a lot of damage.”
Smith said three residents from the second-floor unit where the fire originated refused treatment at the scene. One later transported themselves to Heywood Hospital in Gardner for burn injuries. Smith said one firefighter was taken from the scene by Gardner EMS with a puncture wound to the leg, which occurred while crawling along a floor in the building. The firefighter was treated at Heywood Hospital and released.
The fire remains under investigation by the District 8 Fire Investigation Unit and the state Fire Marshals Office. The release states that the blaze does not appear to be suspicious in nature.
Mutual aid was provided by Ashburnham, Athol, Gardner, Templeton, and Westminster, as well as by Rindge and Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire. Rindge Fire also covered the Winchendon station and responded to separate emergency calls which came in during the fire.
Smith also thanked Winchendon Police, Winchendon Dispatch, Winchendon Animal Control, Winchendon Emergency Management Director Bill McKinney, Winchendon Building Inspector Rick German and the Winchendon Water Department for their assistance.