A two-story home in Winthrop, Massachusetts, succumbed to flames yesterday evening while its owner was attending a Red Sox game. As reported by NBC Boston, the fire department was alerted to the blaze at approximately 7:18 p.m. and found the 150-year-old wood-frame house at 43 Trident Avenue fully engulfed. Despite initial concerns, the resident was not at home during the incident, having been confirmed to be at a baseball game.
Winthrop Fire Chief Scott Wiley detailed that the department, operating with seven firefighters, tackled the fire with mutual aid from neighboring cities. "Thanks to the quick and coordinated efforts of our Winthrop Fire crews and mutual aid partners, we were able to bring a dangerous fire under control before it could spread to neighboring homes," Wiley stated, as he praised the teamwork of the responding units. Additionally, two firefighters were evaluated for heat exhaustion but no injuries were reported, according to CBS Boston.
Fueled by the old structure of the affected home, the fire was fierce enough to melt the vinyl siding of adjacent homes and damage a car. However, those nearby residents have been deemed safe to return to their homes. "I open the back door and the whole thing is ablaze and we were worried because our dog was going nuts. It looked like the fence was going to catch on fire,” a neighbor, Paul Crowley, told NBC Boston, expressing his relief that the damage was contained.
Chief Wiley confirmed that the house "has been deemed a total loss" and is scheduled for demolition. The investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing by the state police fire and explosion investigation unit assigned to the state fire marshal’s office. "So, I came out here and I couldn't see anything was filled with. It was filled with smoke, and then as the smoke began to clear, the fire was just raging. There was nothing left of that house," neighbor Michelle Rosner conveyed to CBS Boston, highlighting the scale of destruction.
Winthrop Town Councilor John DaRos reflected on the importance of rapid response in such densely populated areas, citing this incident as an example. "What we call on the beach streets here in Winthrop, where we're pretty close to each other, and it's really important that we have a fast response," he told NBC Boston. Meanwhile, some residents regarded the event as a warning against increased density in the neighborhood, concerned about the potential scale of future disasters.
