Fire Engine Failure Contributes to Loss of Mass. Barn

A West Dudley resident says his barn burned to the ground Friday because a fire engine malfunctioned and mutual aid firefighters were delayed when they detoured around a town bridge that has been closed for nearly five years.

Guy P. Gregson lighted a wood stove in his barn workshop at 10 Intervale Road before heading to the store for supplies. A neighbor's call about smoke coming from the barn turned him around and prompted his 7:17 a.m. call to 911.

Mr. Gregson, who was in the barn attic trying to put out the fire with a garden hose, was relieved to see the first firetruck from Dudley arrive about 14 minutes later. But when firefighters tried to draw water from a pond across the street, the pumper truck malfunctioned.

"I'm very upset that they sent a pumper that didn't work. By the time the second truck came the whole roof was in flames and it was a total loss," Mr. Gregson said. "If they had a firetruck that had a pumper that worked, it would have saved two-thirds of the building."

Fire apparatus is inspected weekly, said Dudley Fire Chief Dean C. Kochanowski yesterday.

"Before that fire there was nothing wrong with the truck; there is no way we could have known," he said.

A second pumper truck left the Dudley firehouse at 7:27 a.m. and arrived at 7:39 a.m. Mutual aid from Southbridge, Quinebaug and North Grosvenordale arrived moments later.

"The West Dudley bridge is out and that's why it took so long for them (mutual aid) to get here. That bridge makes a big difference but they had to go all around back roads to get here," Mr. Gregson said.

The bridge over the Quinebaug River on West Dudley Road failed a state safety inspection in August 2006, causing a weight limit reduction to 6 tons. The bridge, about 100 feet long, was closed to all traffic in spring 2007, thereby blocking access to Intervale Road from Route 131.

That summer, selectmen received a petition signed by about 90 people expressing concerns that included the extra time it would take emergency vehicles to traverse narrow, winding back roads when responding to residents beyond the bridge.

"Mutual aid would have been able to get there a few minutes quicker if the bridge was open ... Our response time would have been shorter, too," the chief said.

He added, "It's one of the most remote parts of town and because of the bridge being out down there, it causes an issue."

Town Administrator Peter M. Jankowski said Dudley owns the bridge but the state is paying an estimated $3.1 million to replace it.

As for the nearly five years the bridge has been closed, Mr. Jankowski said the project is part of the state's bridge improvement program. It was moved up on the priority list. Preconstruction work has begun. Construction is expected to be completed Nov. 6, with an official reopening in spring 2013.

As for the barn, the one-and-a-half story, 42-by-55-foot building was built in 1996 for about $50,000, Mr. Gregson said.

Before the first firetruck arrived, he was able to remove two motorcycles, two trucks and a car from its three-bay garage.

The contractor by trade lost his business-related tools and materials in the fire.

The fire chief defended his department's response.

"I'm providing the best service to the community with my budget and staffing. It's unfortunate that he lost his building but my guys did a good job with what we had for personnel and equipment," the chief said.

"Even if the pumper worked right away, we would have gotten 10 to 15 feet into the building and I would have backed them out because of the building construction and safety."

No one was hurt. The cause of the fire is undetermined.

The malfunctioning pumper truck, bought in 2006, is being returned to the dealer today for repair.