A two-alarm fire displaced three families after an overnight blaze in Norwood. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, according to the Norwood Fire Department.
According to the Norwood Fire Department, the call for a fire at 65 Austin St. came in at 3:31 a.m. this morning. Responding apparatus arrived minutes later to find the fire showing in the upper floor windows of the triple-decker home. Initial reports showed that families on the first and second floors had evacuated but it was unknown if residents on the third floor had escaped, the fire department says.
Engine company crews initiated an interior attack at the front stairwell, encountering fire on the second floor. Front access to the third floor was cut off due to a burned-out stairwell, which injured a firefighter who partially fell through in the zero-visibility conditions, according to the fire department.
Crews were able to access the third floor by a rear stairwell, where they performed a primary search of the floor, finding no occupants. Firefighters continued to attack heavy fire on the upper third floor and attic areas.
Due to a partially collapsing roof, fire crews were given the all-clear to evacuate the building. Three aerial ladder master streams were used, including Norwood, Walpole and Canton’s, to continue firefighting operations.
According to the fire department, firefighters brought the blaze under control about 2 1/2 hours after their initial arrival. Three firefighters had minor injuries from fire operations.
Norwood Fire Chief Michael Howard estimated the damage to be about $200,000. Walpole, Westwood, Sharon, and Canton Fire Departments assisted on scene and crews from Foxboro, Wrentham, Norfolk, and Dedham provided station coverage.
Two of the three families are now staying at the Residence Inn, said fire department spokesperson George Morrice. The third family has not been located and is evidently out of town, Morrice said.
Suspicious house fire causes investigation
By Lindsay Briggs / staff writer
Tue Oct 13, 2009, 04:43 PM EDT NORWOOD - An investigation is underway to determine the cause of a fire that caused $100K worth of damage to a home at 46 Woodbine Road early Monday morning.
Norwood firefighters received a call about the blaze at 1:10 a.m. When they arrived, flames were coming from the front eaves and around the front door of the home.
Fire on the first floor was quickly extinguished, but firefighters found heavy flames in the attic. All crews were ordered out of the home when the roof partially caved in due to the main support beam burning through.
No one was home at the time of the fire.
Norwood Fire Investigator Bill Turner and State Police brought an accelerant-sniffing dog in to investigate the area.
“The burn pattern made the fire suspicious, so we brought in the dog,” said Firefighter Spokesman George Morrice.
The dog did find a positive hit for accelerant around the house, according to Morrice, who said the owner just purchased the home within the last few weeks.
The investigators are looking into a possible case of arson at the Woodbine Road residence that looked like it was being rehabbed, according to Morrice.
“The new owner is not believed to be a suspect at this time,” said Morrice.
Staff writer Lindsay Briggs can be reached at 781-433-8339 or at libriggs@cnc.com.
