A veteran firefighter lost his historic Carver home to a midday blaze Monday.
Steven Blanchard and his son, Tim, both firefighters with the Carver Fire Department, worked side-by-side with colleagues to battle the intense fire as it spread throughout the home on South Main Street.
The first engine was on scene in five minutes and crews began attacking the fast-spreading blaze.
The home was built in the 1750s and fire officials said the balloon-frame construction allowed the fire to quickly spread, according to a post on the Carver Fire Department's Facebook page.
Dozens of firefighters from Middleboro, Plymouth, Plympton and Wareham responded and worked feverishly to contain the blaze in about an hour. Over 31,000 gallons of water was shuttled to the scene.
The home was destroyed and the Blanchard family lost all of their possessions.
"The family is in immediate need of help to acquire clothing, lodging, personal hygiene items, etc. In the long term their needs will certainly be greater as they lost generations of family heirlooms," the department posted on their Facebook page.
The fire department established a GoFundMe page to help with the family's immediate needs.
Carver, a former dispatcher, has been with the department for 26 years. His son Tim is a nine-year member.
"Please keep our fellow Firefighter and his family in your thoughts and prayers as they try to recover from this tragedy," the department posted.
