A late-night fire ripped through a home on Medway Road in Milford on Saturday, leaving five people displaced and the house uninhabitable. Firefighters encountered heavy flames pouring from a three-season porch at the rear of the home as crews worked to knock the blaze down. The homeowner managed to rescue pets from the burning house, and officials said there were no civilian injuries.
Milford Fire Chief Mark Nelson told NBC10 Boston the call came in at about 8:30 p.m., just as Milford firefighters were already handling other emergencies. The department recalled personnel back to the station, and neighboring departments answered mutual-aid requests. “We rely on our neighbors in situations like this, and they rely on us,” Nelson said. The station reported that five residents were displaced, pets were saved by the owner and the cause of the blaze remains under investigation, with state fire investigators assisting.
State investigators are on scene
The Massachusetts Department of Fire Services notes that the State Police Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit, assigned to the State Fire Marshal's office, steps in on complex or high-loss incidents to support local departments and conduct origin-and-cause work. In public guidance, the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services has described how these state investigators supplement municipal teams, collect evidence and gather additional data on unusual or potentially hazardous fires.
Mutual aid and local capacity
The Milford Fire Department lists Chief Mark Nelson on the town website and operates out of two stations. According to the department, its crews handle thousands of calls each year, and neighboring companies frequently provide coverage and manpower for larger incidents. Milford Fire Department records show a regular reliance on regional partners during multi-unit responses.
Mutual aid is a routine part of firefighting in the region, and Boston 25 News has documented similar multi-department responses where state agencies join local crews to help determine what sparked serious fires. Investigators in Milford continue to work to find the cause of Saturday night's blaze.
