Cambridge firefighters rushed to Waltham on Tuesday night after reports that a vehicle had gone into the water near 1100 Winter Street, triggering a fast-moving water search that pulled in divers, a marine unit and multiple rescue teams.
According to the Cambridge Fire Department, Engine 6, Rescue 1, Squad 4, Dive 1, Marine Unit 3 and Division 2 were all sent to 1100 Winter Street to assist Waltham Fire. The department said it dispatched six units to the scene but did not immediately provide details on the condition of anyone who might have been in the vehicle.
Where the call came in
The incident location, 1100 Winter Street, sits on the Bay Colony office campus and overlooks the Cambridge Reservoir, according to Cushman & Wakefield. The reservoir, also known as the Hobbs Brook Basin, is part of Cambridge's drinking-water watershed and includes a gatehouse on Winter Street, per the City of Cambridge.
Why dive and marine units are called
Dive teams and marine units are brought in for submerged-vehicle searches because those calls involve hazardous conditions and require specialized gear and training. Massachusetts has intrastate mutual-aid agreements that let neighboring departments send extra help when a local incident needs more resources, according to guidance on Mass.gov. Similar water-search responses have unfolded nearby in recent weeks, including when a vehicle went off the road and into a small pond in Waltham on April 17, as reported by WCVB.
The Cambridge department's update did not say whether anyone was injured or if the vehicle had been recovered, according to the Cambridge Fire Department. Officials in Waltham had not added further details in that post.
