Blaze destroys Lawndale Road home
Published on December 21st, 2005
Stoneham firefighter had to battle both the fire and the ice last Wednesday, when they were called to a two-alarm blaze at 18 Lawndale Road at 5:44 p.m. where fire was already shooting out of the roof upon their arrival.
Engine One and Ladder One reported to the scene and battled the blaze - while Melrose Fire Department covered the Stoneham station house and both Wakefield and Reading Fire Departments supplied mutual aid assistance. One firefighter sustained an arm injury in the fire that was believed to have started in the attic of the home - a residence in an affluent neighborhood that sustained damages in the area of $800,000.
"We're still investigating the cause of the fire, and we haven't really determined how or why it started yet," said Marshall.
According to Stoneham Fire Department Lt. Jim Marshall, the roof collapsed while the firemen were battling the raging fire, but no residents were injured during the incident. The fire made for a surreal scene with a roaring and healthy fire bursting through the roof of the home and creating a dangerously hot environment inside the house, while the large quantities of water hosed on the house combined with the icy temperatures to make a dangerous scenario for firefighters. On scene workers were covered with ice on their uniforms and had to take care in stepping around the scene as water was instantly turning to treacherous, slippery ice.
"It was a pretty bad situation with the roaring fire inside, and the water, ice and extreme cold on the outside," said Marshall. "We had to an lot of exterior work before we could get in there and fight the fire on the inside - our guys were covered head-to-toe in ice by the time we left."
The homeowners weren't home when the blaze started, and the house had been reduced to bare walls and a pile or rubble when firefighters cleared the scene after midnight. Firefighters remained long after most had cleared the scene, and embarked on an overnight fire watch to make certain the still-combustible embers didn't ignite into a second fire.
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