East Bridgewater Firefighters Extinguish Basement Fire

EAST BRIDGEWATER — Chief John Dzialo is praising firefighters for their work at a basement fire Friday evening that required crews to respond with limited on-duty staffing and rely on mutual aid partners.

On Friday, Feb. 20, the East Bridgewater Fire Department received a 911 call at 5:58 p.m. reporting smoke and fire in the basement of a single-family home at 49 Captain’s Way.

At the time of the call, an engine and ambulance were already committed to a medical emergency, with the ambulance transporting a patient to the hospital. As a result, only two East Bridgewater firefighters were available on the first-arriving engine.

Upon arrival, crews found smoke coming from a 2 1/2-story wood-frame home. The family of three who lives at the residence had safely evacuated after calling 911. The home had working smoke alarms, which contributed to their quick escape.

The initial crew began fire suppression while requesting mutual aid engines from Whitman and West Bridgewater. Off-duty East Bridgewater firefighters also responded to assist.

The Bridgewater Fire Department provided station coverage and also sent a mutual aid ambulance to another medical call in town while East Bridgewater crews were committed to the fire.

Additional firefighters arrived and helped extinguish the fire. Crews then conducted extensive overhaul to check for fire extension into the walls and other concealed spaces. The fire appeared to be contained to the basement due to the quick actions of responding personnel, but the building sustained smoke, fire and water damage, leaving the family displaced.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the East Bridgewater Fire Department, but preliminarily appears electrical in nature. The wire inspector and National Grid responded to the scene.

Crews cleared the scene at approximately 8 p.m.

This was the second structure fire in East Bridgewater this week that required the department to rely on mutual aid and off-duty staffing due to simultaneous emergency calls.

“Our firefighters performed exceptionally under less-than-ideal conditions,” Chief Dzialo said. “When multiple emergencies happen at once, we rely heavily on our mutual aid partners and off-duty personnel. We are grateful no one was injured, but situations like this highlight the importance of adequate staffing.”

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