Attleboro firefighters forced their way into a smoke-filled, first-floor apartment on Peck Street on Thursday and pulled a sleeping resident to safety after finding dangerously high levels of carbon monoxide inside. The rescue unfolded quickly once crews made entry, with the person found still in bed as thick smoke filled the unit.
Crews Force Entry Into Smoke-Choked Unit
The Attleboro Fire Department responded to a reported apartment fire on Peck Street, according to WJAR. Fire crews reported heavy smoke inside the first-floor apartment after forcing entry, the station reported, and found a person in bed inside before pulling them to safety.
An ambulance crew saw the victim at the scene, per the same report. The fire department also reported that the apartment had high levels of carbon monoxide, though the station's account does not specify the victim's condition, age, or whether the person was taken to a hospital.
Investigators Point to the Stove
Investigators believe a fire on top of a stove caused the incident, WJAR reported, though a final determination of the cause has not been confirmed. The station said it would update the story as more information becomes available.
Cooking equipment remains one of the most common sources of home fires nationally, according to data tracked by the U.S. Fire Administration, which monitors residential building fires reported as cooking-related. The National Fire Protection Association similarly tracks patterns in fire losses tied to home cooking equipment, underscoring why kitchen fires draw close scrutiny from investigators even in cases still under review.
Peck Street's History With Fire
Thursday's rescue is not the first time Peck Street has seen fire crews respond to a residential blaze. In a separate, earlier incident, a fire was reported at about 10:15 p.m. in an apartment at 53 Peck St., according to The Sun Chronicle, which is not confirmed to be connected to Thursday's rescue. In that earlier case, officials said the lack of operable smoke detectors could have made the fire worse.
Attleboro has also seen other fires at different addresses in recent memory, including a kitchen fire at a senior-housing apartment building that firefighters extinguished before it could spread through the structure, as the Sun Chronicle reported separately. A building fire covered by WPRI noted that a sprinkler system had contained flames until first responders arrived, while a fire at 9 Magnolia Street displaced 24 residents and two dogs, with one resident taken by ambulance to Rhode Island Hospital with serious injuries, according to WBSM. None of those incidents are tied to Thursday's Peck Street rescue.
