Chaos erupted on a quiet Berlin Saturday night when fire and smoke engulfed a farmhouse at 116 Highland Street. Berlin Fire & EMS responded to the call just after 11 PM on Saturday, with crews arriving in slightly over four minutes despite the poor weather. With the conditions stacked against them, teams battled the blaze that tore through the historical 2.5 story woodframe structure. Fierce flames were reportedly pouring from the house's rear, prompting authorities to summon additional support.
The quick response and an aggressive strategy were imperative to not just fight, but also quickly gain control over the inferno. According to a Facebook post by the Berlin Fire & EMS, Captain Alessi, Lieutenant Paulino, Firefighters Lichwell and Deptula managed to contain the fire to the back portion of the farmhouse, sparing the main living areas from significant damage.
The mutual aid effort saw neighboring departments from Hudson, Clinton, Northborough, Bolton, Boylston, Boxborough, Lancaster, Stow, and Harvard, racing to assist, primarily with tanker trucks essential for the rural setting. Within 35 minutes of their arrival, fire crews had the situation under control, and by 1:30 AM, the site was cleared, ending a potentially cataclysmic event with precision and efficiency.
"Great apparatus placement along with an aggressive fire attack by the first due engine company" along with the rapid arrival of mutual aid partners helped in what could have easily turned out to be a much graver scenario. This sentiment of mutual respect and gratefulness was echoed on the department's social media, acknowledging the essential role played by the Berlin Police Department and the Berlin Highway Department in assisting the fire crews on the scene.
