Massachusetts house fire sends 2 firefighters to hospital, 1 other evaluated
By Sharman Sacchetti
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NORFOLK, Massachusetts (WCVB) — Two firefighters were taken to a hospital with heat exhaustion, and another was being evaluated after a fire in a home in Norfolk, Massachusetts, on Tuesday morning.
A passerby reported seeing the fire at 3 Main St. at about 9:40 a.m. There was heavy smoke, and flames were visible on the back of the home.
Dozens of firefighters battled the fire, which grew to three alarms, with mutual aid called in from surrounding communities. A firefighter from Walpole and one from Millis were taken to the hospital.
“We’ve had a couple of firefighters unfortunately overcome by the heat that we had to transport, but they should make a speedy recovery,” Norfolk Fire Chief Erron Kinney said.
No one was home at the time, officials said.
“Huge (flames). They were really huge. And thick black smoke,” said neighbor Jim Busby. “You can hear a couple of pops like little explosions, almost like a propane tank of something blowing up, like two pops.”
The fire chief said those sounds could have been from licensed guns or ammunition inside the home.
Several other firefighters were treated at the scene, working in short shifts of 15 to 20 minutes before taking breaks. They found some relief by pouring water on themselves, sitting in the shade and using cool towels.
“It’s heat exhaustion, dehydration, those kinds of things that just cause the conditions, it kind of jumps on you fast,” Kinney said.
About a dozen nearby departments were called in to assist, and a special truck was on scene to allow firefighters to rest, cool off and get checked out before returning to work.
“As things started to settle and deescalate, you could see the heat just kind of take its toll on everyone,” Kinney said.
The single-family home has 3,200 square feet of living space and was built in 2004, according to Zillow.
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