Photos/Story by Alan J. Brackett
Dudley, MA -- A midday fire totally destroyed a barn owned by a local construction company here on Saturday, January 5th.
The barn, owned by Val-Go Construction was used as a storage building and garage for the companies' vehicles, tools, and building materials.
The initial call was received by Dudley Fire Alarm at 11:47 a.m. reporting a fire at Val-Go Construction on Schofield Ave in Dudley.
As the initial call was being taken, the switchboard at Fire Alarm started to light up with numerous calls reporting the same incident.
The dispatcher alerted all Dudley firefighters to respond to the working structure fire.
Dudley Engine 2 arrived on scene first, under the command of Captain Dave Konieczny, to find heavy smoke showing from all sides of the structure, and fire was just starting to self- vent through a small hole in side "B" of the barn.
He stated " It was deceiving because on the way to the call, I was looking for smoke in the air and I didn't see any. The smoke was lazy and spreading out laterally in the area".
Upon arrival, Engine 2 hit the last hydrant on the road (a dead-end hydrant) and laid a 4" feeder line to secure their water supply, which would be needed to fight the fire.
Capt. Konieczny and his crew forced entry and attempted an interior attack of the fire.
As the door was opened, the fire found a great source of oxygen and rapidly spread throughout the building. Also adding to the fire problem was the building construction. The unprotected wood frame structure had a slate roof. This roof had held a large volume of fire from self-venting through the roof, causing the fire to attack the sidewalls more severely.
The fire burned its way out through the exterior sheathing of the building with amazing speed.
Within fifteen minutes of the initial call, the building was fully involved with visible fire. Dudley Ladder 1, arriving shortly after Engine 2, prepared to vent the roof. As the aerial ladder was placed, the weight of the slate roof proved too much for the structure. A portion of the roof collapsed to the interior of the building.
At this point, interior operations were suspended and a defensive attack was initiated. A ladder pipe was pressed into service on the "A/D" corner of the building and Engine 2s pre-piped deck gun was used, as well as a 2 1/2 handline that was stretched to the rear of the building.
Limited water supply hampered the use of these multiple master streams. The Dudley Water Department was requested to turn on the booster pump in the area and the Webster fire department, which responded to the scene under mutual aid, pumped the dead end hydrant.
With the water supply situation solidified, the firefighters quickly took control of the fire.
The main body of fire was knocked down in about an hour's time, with crews remaining on scene to continue with extensive overhaul operations for the next two hours.
All Dudley and Webster crews were back in service in their respective stations by 5:00 p.m. The Webster Fire department also provided station coverage with one Engine Company while Dudley was out at the incident. No injuries were reported.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, but is not thought to be suspicious in nature. A damage estimate was not immediately available.
