A homeowner was hospitalized following a fire and subsequent explosions at his Gloucester home Wednesday morning. As reported by NBC Boston, the incident occurred in the attached garage of a single-family home on Marina Drive and resulted in its total destruction, but left the main structure with only smoke damage.
The Gloucester Fire Department received the call just after 10:30 a.m. and quickly converged on the scene, finding the garage "fully involved in flames," according to Gloucester Fire Chief Eric Smith. The homeowner had evacuated themselves before the first responders arrived, but not without sustaining injuries. The injured owner was then transported to Beverly Hospital for treatment. The specifics about the homeowner's injuries are yet to be made public. Notably, "Crews did an outstanding job attending to the victim and knocking the fire down quickly," Smith said, conveying hopes for a swift recovery of the homeowner, noted NBC Boston.
Inside the garage, firefighters faced multiple challenges, including several flammable containers and an oxygen tank that burned, causing what appeared to be small explosions, according to Fire Chief Smith's statement to WHDH News. These containers contributed to the fierceness of the fire. Work was done to ensure the fire did not spread further into the house, and the main body of the blaze was knocked down by 11:09 a.m., fully under control roughly eleven minutes later.
While a complete investigation is yet to reveal the definitive cause of the fire, early indicators suggest that "welding may have been involved," per Fire Chief Smith's comments to WHDH News. Additional support was required from Rockport firefighters, who initially covered Gloucester stations and later provided direct assistance at the scene. Following the event, the residents of the damaged home, who will now be temporarily displaced, indicated they have local family available to assist them until they can return.
