Vermont Firefighter Responds To Blaze At His Own Home
Geno was on duty when the call came in about a single-car two-story garage fire on Western Avenue, which he quickly realized was his own.
But despite the extenuating circumstances, the veteran firefighter managed to maintain composure and command his crew to the scene of his burning, split-level garage, where he called in a second alarm.
"Fortunately, the fire was contained to the garage," said Fire Chief David Emery, who gave Geno the rest of the day off to assess his losses. "It caused substantial damage to the structure and it's contents."
Apparently, fire broke out in a plastic tub at the base of the structure, which is built into a bank off Western Avenue, Emery said.
Although there were no vehicles in the garage when the blaze started, he said it was being used for storage.
Although the Vermont State Police fire inspector was contacted to conduct an investigation, Emery said the fire is not being considered suspicious or intentional. "Everything at this point would point to the fire being accidental," he said.
Emery said most of the building's contents were damaged, including a snow blower, dirt bike and chimney cleaning tools.
The garage itself also suffered extensive damage from the fire, which took about a half-hour to bring under control.
"It burned through the floor and into the roof," he said. "The garage will probably be salvageable."
Geno's house stands about four feet from the garage and was not affected by the blaze, Emery said.
As a result of the fire, traffic on Western Avenue was limited to one lane for about an hour, delaying the arrival of Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., for a press conference at the Exit 1 Industrial Park.
Arriving nearly a half-hour late, Leahy said his caravan was able to avoid traffic snarls by following a resident's pick-up truck through the bucolic back roads of Brattleboro.
Leahy and his wife, Marcelle, thoroughly enjoyed the unexpected detour. "We saw parts of Brattleboro that we hadn't ever seen before," he said.