Whitman Fire Department Extinguishes Deck Fire Wednesday Evening

WHITMAN — Chief Timothy Clancy reports that the Whitman Fire Department responded to a fire on the deck of a home at 537 Plymouth St. on Wednesday evening, July 10.

At approximately 8 p.m., the Whitman Fire Department received a call for a fire on the front deck of a home. The call was placed by the owner of a convenience store located behind the home. The store owner was notified of the fire by two individuals who observed smoke coming from the deck as they were driving along Plymouth Street.

Prior to firefighters’ arrival, the store owner threw a bucket of water on the flames.

Upon arrival, firefighters observed smoke coming from under the deck. A resident of the home had already evacuated. The Whitman Fire Department extinguished the fire and used hand tools to overhaul the rest of the deck. The scene was cleared at approximately 10 p.m.

No injuries were reported. Damage to the home was limited to the front deck.

The cause of the fire was investigated by the Whitman Fire Department with assistance from the State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit attached to the State Fire Marshal’s Office. The fire was determined to have occurred due to improper disposal of smoking materials.

“On behalf of the Whitman Fire Department, I would like to thank the good Samaritans who helped prevent this fire from spreading further,” Chief Clancy said. “Their quick thinking in both reporting the fire and helping safely extinguish the flames before units arrived prevented further damage to the home.”

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