Chief Timothy J. Grenno reports that the Whitman Fire Department
extinguished a fire inside a condominium garage Monday morning.
At approximately 11:10 a.m., Whitman firefighters were dispatched to 877 Auburnville Way, inside the Village at Auburnville community for residents age 55 and older.
Upon arrival firefighters located a fire inside of the garage with the sprinkler system suppressing the flames and keeping the fire from spreading rapidly throughout the building.
Firefighters quickly used a hose line to extinguish the fire and overhauled the area to ensure that the flames had not spread elsewhere.
A female resident, who is wheelchair bound, had been evacuated by her home health aide to the first floor porch and was then moved from the porch away from the home by bystanders and responding firefighters. The woman was uninjured but was evaluated by a Halifax Fire ambulance crew on scene as a precaution.
The fire and smoke caused approximately $50,000 in damage to the garage. The home itself had minimal smoke and odor damage.
The resident will be able to return to her home once the fire alarm and sprinkler system is repaired, which is expected to be done today.
The incident was the second fire that Whitman firefighters responded to recently in which a sprinkler system helped to prevent potentially devastating damage. On July 24, the department extinguished a fire at the Bostonian Loft Apartments, 7 Marble St.
“The unit where this fire occurred was one of four attached condos in same building,” Chief Grenno said. “If it weren’t for the sprinkler system suppressing the fire until we arrived, the fire could have spread far more quickly and done a lot more damage. This is the second fire we’ve had in less than a month where a sprinkler system helped to keep a fire at bay until firefighters could arrive on scene. Having a properly functioning and regularly maintained sprinkler system can and does save lives.”
The fire was caused by careless disposal of a cigarette into a trash barrel in the garage.
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