Great Barrington Fire, Police Respond to Chimney Fire
Fire Chief Scott Turner called for mutual aid as soon as he saw flames.
Fire Chief Scott Turner said the blaze at 205 North St. was reported about 12:38 p.m.
"When I arrived on scene, we had a small amount of flames coming out of the eaves of the roof over by the chimney for the wood stove, and then we had light smoke conditions on the second floor," he said.
Police Officers Andres Huertas and Elias Casey were first on the scene and immediately entered the single-family home to find the occupant was on the second floor.
They helped her out of the building, Turner said, "they did a great job."
The chimney is a metal chimney and burn marks could been seen where it meets the eaves on the side of the building.
North Street is a narrow residential way and firetrucks from Alford, Egremont, Monterey, Richmond, Stockbridge and West Stockbridge were parked along nearby streets. Scene support was provided by police, Southern Berkshire Ambulance, and National Grid.
"It is because of the tight roads, so we couldn't fit all the apparatus here on the street, so we left them in staging just to get their personnel here on scene," Turners said. "We didn't need any more water or any more apparatus. We just needed personnel."
That need was why so many fire companies were called for mutual aid, he said.
"We're short staffed, so we try to get as many people here as quickly as we can," the chief continued. "At least from my perspective, I go to a mutual aid response right away. As soon as there's a confirmed fire, I start getting people coming in."
In a statement later, Turner said the occupant believed there had been a chimney fire earlier in the day that appeared to have self-extinguished.
He emphasized the importance of immediately contacting the Fire Department anytime a fire is suspected, no matter how minor it may seem, and stressed the critical role of properly functioning smoke detectors in every home.
The blaze was under control within minutes. The occupant was treated by ambulance personnel and the Red Cross contacted to assist them. The scene was cleared within 90 minutes.
Tags: structure fire,
