New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
“This morning our firefighters responded to a structure fire on Church Street Extension.
On December 20th at approximately 8:36am, the Mattapoisett FIre Department was dispatched to 3 Church Street Extension for a reported structure fire.
Fire Chief Murray arrived on scene at 8:38am and reported heavy fire and smoke showing from the structure. Engine 1 also arrived at 8:38am and began fire suppression activities.
At this time a 2nd alarm assignment was requested to the scene bringing in a total of 3 engines from Mattapoisett, 1 engine from Marion, 1 engine and 1 ladder from Fairhaven. Rochester Fire responded to Mattapoisett fire station with an engine for station coverage.
Upon arrival, there was heavy fire coming from the garage, breezeway, and rear of the structure. The property is mixed-use including commercial and residential units. The commercial unit was used as an engine repair garage. The residential unit unoccupied at the time of the fire, however, was the home to a father and his two young children.
The fire appears to have started in the garage, in the area of a heater. There were also fuels, oils, and other flammable materials that made it difficult to extinguish.
One employee of the repair facility had his clothes catch on fire and utilized the ‘stop, drop, and roll” method to successfully extinguish the fire on his clothing. He was evacuated at the scene and did not require any additional treatment.
The fire was brought under control in approximately 50 minutes with 22 firefighters. No injuries were reported. The fire and smoke damage was estimated at $300,000. The Red Cross was called in to assist the adult and 2 children who resided in the residential unit.
The last fire unit cleared the scene at 12:50pm.
All photos are courtesy of Ed Pepin and Tim Smith.” -Mattapoisett Fire Rescue.
