A Sunday fire at a Canton home caused extensive damage, and a rekindle early Monday sent a firefighter to the hospital. The first fire left the homeowner with burns; when crews returned to 11 Hickory Lane, the flames had spread through the roof and structure.
The homeowner suffered burns in the original fire and was taken to a Boston-area hospital, according to WCVB. Boston 25 News reported that crews struck a second alarm, prompting mutual aid to respond and assist.
During the first fire, flames spread through the back of the building and reached the roofline. The roof began to collapse, making it difficult for firefighters to enter, WCVB reported. Crews brought the fire under control and turned the scene back over to the homeowner before the flames returned hours later.
Fire Returns at 3 A.M., Firefighter Grows Short of Breath
Firefighters were called back to the home at 3 a.m. after the fire rekindled, WCVB reported. By the time crews arrived, flames had spread through the roof and the entire structure.
A firefighter who became short of breath while battling the flames was taken to a local hospital, the station reported. Canton Fire Department crews worked to control the rekindled fire. The back of the house was gone, and the front was unstable, so firefighters were not sent inside, according to the report.
Cause Still Under Investigation
As of Monday, the cause of the fire remained under investigation, with no determination made public. No additional details had been released about the extent of the firefighter’s or homeowner’s injuries.
National Fire and Structural-Safety Context
For national context, the U.S. Fire Administration estimates 343,000 residential-building fires in 2024. That figure does not establish a Massachusetts or Canton trend. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health warns that structural collapses during fires can occur without direct warning and seriously injure or kill firefighters. This is general safety guidance, not a finding about the Canton home.
Firefighter injuries during active house fires have surfaced elsewhere in the region recently. In Londonderry, New Hampshire, a firefighter was hospitalized after suffering an injury during a flashover while battling a house fire, according to NBC Boston. A Springfield firefighter also suffered non-life-threatening injuries while responding to a residential fire, as reported by Fire Engineering.
