Lighting strike ignites home on Waterhouse Rd.
Published on July 3rd, 2001
STONEHAM, MA - Fire sparked by lightning destroyed the Pacini family’s home at 7 Waterhouse Road Saturday night, June 30.
Parents Richard and Barbara Pacini have four children and a dog. No one was hurt, but their wood-framed, single family home was ruined, according to Stoneham firefighters who battled the blaze.
One of the children called the Stoneham Fire Department at 6:31 p.m. Neighbors at the scene told firefighters that the parents were not home.
Stoneham Fire arrived on the scene at 6:40 p.m. and sounded a second alarm for assistance. Response time is usually twice as fast, but the Stoneham Department was spread thin, providing emergency assistance to Reading Fire Department and covering a flurry of calls in Stoneham — including two other lightning strikes.
At 6 p.m. Capt. Douglas Griffin and two men took Engine 4 to assist Reading as part of the mutual aid arrangement between surrounding communities.
At 6:13 p.m. Lt. Robert Dunphy and a crew with Engine 1 and Ladder 1 responded to a reported lightning strike at a Tamarock Terrace home. After investigating, Dunphy’s crew determined that the lightning had missed the home.
But at 6:18 p.m. a Lawndale Road lightning strike was reported; this home was smoking. Stoneham Fire called back off-duty personnel, and two firefighters took Engine 5 to Lawndale Road.
At 6:31 p.m. the Waterhouse Road call came into the Stoneham station and was relayed to the men in the field.
Dunphy’s crew got to Waterhouse first, around 6:40 p.m., running an attack line off the preconnected hoses of Ladder 1.
“Flames were shooting from the roof and out the windows,” Dunphy said. He immediately sounded a second alarm for back-up.
Wakefield and Melrose Fire had too many calls of their own to help Stoneham. Winchester Fire took off to assist on Waterhouse Road, and North Reading Fire sent men to cover the Stoneham station.
Griffin’s crew arrived at 7 Waterhouse Road several minutes later, around the same time as Winchester Fire.
“When we got there, flames were shooting 35 to 40 feet from the roof,” said Stoneham Firefighter Mike Flynn.
The Stoneham men attached a line to the street hydrant and entered the home’s lower level in an attempt to save at least part of the house.
“We’re an aggressive department,” said Flynn. “We got it out fast.”
The fire was out in 30 minutes. It didn’t spread. But the roof of the home had collapsed before firefighters beat down the flames.
Flynn said that the fire may have “been cooking” for a period of time before the residents realized that something was burning.
Dunphy said that having more men on duty could have cut the response time.
Stoneham firefighters reacted quickly and bravely. Fortunately, no one was hurt. And the Pacinis must now lean on family and friends to help them through this tragedy.
Other stormy news
A Hancock Street man who depends on an electric oxygen pump to breath lost power to his home for almost 14 hours, overnight Sunday, July 1, into July 2.
A reserve tank ran out after 12 hours, but a neighbor with power was thoughtful enough to stop by and run an extension cord next door.
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