BURLINGTON — The Burlington Fire Department and mutual aid partners worked together to extinguish a two-alarm fire in a multi-unit building on Hallmark Garden on Tuesday night amid snow and freezing temperatures.
On Tuesday, Feb. 24, at approximately 5:50 p.m., the Burlington Fire Department was called to 1 Hallmark Garden by a 911 call reporting a possible structure fire.
Engine 4 arrived first to discover fire showing from a second-floor unit. All residents evacuated on their own, so firefighters quickly stretched two hose lines into the second floor, while other firefighters ventilated the building’s roof.
Simultaneously, firefighters provided first aid to a resident who suffered burns. That residents was later transported to a local hospital for further treatment.
Firefighters were able to contain the fire to the unit where it started, and had the fire under control within about 30 minutes. Firefighters remained on scene for an extended time afterward to overhaul the building.
Deep snow, ice, and cluttered conditions inside the unit posed challenges to firefighters. The fire hydrant closest to the building had already been cleared, but others in the area had to be cleared by firefighters.
The eight-unit building suffered smoke damage throughout the second floor, and first floor units below the fire suffered water damage.
Residents of all eight units will be displaced. Exactly how many residents have been displaced, and how much assistance they will require is still being determined.
Firefighters from Bedford, Lexington, Woburn, and Wilmington provided mutual aid at the scene, and Armstrong Ambulance kept an ambulance on standby at the scene. Firefighters from Reading, Billerica and Stoneham covered Burlington fire stations.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Burlington Fire Department.
To view a brief video of what firefighters found on arrival, click here.
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