A blaze in Rockport, Massachusetts injured three, including a police officer after it ripped through a residential property on Wednesday. While the full extent of the injuries is not known, at least two individuals were whisked away to the hospital, reports NBC Boston.
The fire, which torched the second floor of a house on Phillips Avenue, presented challenges due to the cold weather. The Rockport Fire Department battled an icy environment to get the flames under control, an endeavor complicated by coastal winds and freezing temperatures, leading to an on-scene ice buildup.
According to WHDH, the police officer and two others hospitalized were directly associated with the residence engulfed in fire. The home saw significant damage, but was not completely lost to the inferno. Emergency services maintained a strong presence in the neighborhood well into the evening hours.
"It’s just awful tough trying to fight a fire in these conditions, especially right on the water with the wind blowing," Rockport Assistant Fire Chief Douglas Anderson told WHDH. In response to the harsh conditions, Anderson called for a third alarm, summoning additional firefighting crews to the scene. The icy conditions prompted the local Department of Public Works to deploy salt and sand to combat the ground's slickness.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, and emergency personnel and fire investigators continue to work to understand what sparked the blaze as of the latest updates.
