At around 1 p.m. March 25, Milford Fire Alarm received a 911 call from 31 Pine St. reporting a fire in the building with an occupant trapped on the third floor. Milford Fire Department was dispatched and arrived on the scene within minutes.
Crews had light smoke showing from the exterior of a large three story woodframe building.
Within seconds of being on scene, heavy smoke and fire began to vent from multiple windows on the D side of the building and a working fire was struck. Ladder one's crew set up for the rescue of the trapped occupant on the A side. The ladder was thrown to the third floor window and the occupant was brought down safely and without injury.
A second alarm was struck at 1:20 p.m. as heavy fire began to spread throughout the first floor of the building. Multiple lines were stretched to the first and second floors in an aggressive interior attack on the fire. At one point, it appeared that the fire had been knocked on the first floor, but due to voids in the building's construction, fire soon began to make its way upward.
Second alarm crews from Hopedale and Bellingham along with Franklin's tower went to work. The tower was set up on the D side while Milford's ladder was moved to side B. Crews worked on the interior to locate the fire. Unfortunately heavy smoke and fire soon began to show from the roof of the building.
A third alarm was struck at 1:40 p.m. as heavy fire began to spread across the roof. Hopkinton, Ashland, and Franklin engines responded.
At this point, command ordered all firefighters out of the building and operations switched to defensive mode. Milford's ladder and Franklin's tower were placed in operation knocking the fire from the exterior.
It took about 45 minutes before the heavy fire was knocked down and crews could re-enter the building for overhaul. Two cats were found alive during the operation.
The cause of the fire was determined to be a lit cigarette on a mattress in a first floor appartment. All units were released from the scene by 5:00 p.m.
