Dracut

Deputy Fire Chief Spots Smoke While Driving, Discovers Multi-Alarm Blaze at Dracut Home

A resident of the home was taken to a local hospital for evaluation, and a dog died in the blaze, fire officials said

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A challenging fire fanned by gusty winds Friday afternoon left one family in Dracut, Massachusetts, without a home and their dog dead.

The Dracut Fire Department responded to the multi-alarm blaze on Donohue Road after Deputy Fire Chief Thomas Mackey saw flames and called dispatch. Mackey was driving in the area of Donohue Road and Mercier Street around 2:07 p.m. when he noticed a column of smoke in the area. Turning onto Mercier Street, Mackey saw heavy fire showing in the rear of a Donohue Road home.

Heavy fire conditions throughout the single-family home forced firefighters to battle the fire defensively, according to Fire Chief Richard Patterson. An additional alarm was struck and another engine was also called to the scene to bring manpower for extensive overhaul, the fire chief said.

Crews were able to bring the fire under control around 3:45 p.m.

“I want to thank all of the mutual aid partners who assisted with this fire, which was challenging since it had a big head start and was fanned by high winds,” said Patterson. “Crews did good work in difficult conditions, and we are thankful no one was seriously injured.”

Firefighters from Lowell, Tyngsborough, and Methuen, Massachusetts, as well as crews from Hudson and Nashua, New Hampshire, provided mutual aid at the scene.

No firefighters were injured battling the blaze. One resident of the home was taken to a local hospital for evaluation, Patterson said.

The family who lives in the home was displaced, and they are being assisted by the American Red Cross of Massachusetts.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Dracut Fire Investigation Unit and the State Police Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit assigned to the State Fire Marshal’s Office.

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