Besides false fire alarms going off all over Massachusetts due to smoke clouds coming down from Canada, some residents’ fears from fire were realized after a house was engulfed in flames in Sandwich, MA on Monday.
The house fire that resulted in a massive explosion left two Massachusetts firefighters injured on Memorial Day, only to re-ignite a few hours later.
The Boston Channel reported that the fire first started around noon at a million-dollar home in Barnstable County that was part of Ridge Club, a private golf community. Though the causes for the fire are still under investigation, some believe that it ignited when a gas grill with a gas line hose attached exploded, causing the fire to spread to the house.
Firefighters were at the scene about 10 minutes after the call, and two of them entered the burning house. At that time, the fire set off a massive explosion, throwing the two firefighters 40 feet away. The impact caused a broken neck and back to one firefighter, and broken ankle injuries to the other.
Approximately 8 hours later, the fire re-ignited. This time, since there were no firefighters available to respond, mutual aid helped fight the fire and contain it, though fire officials described the home as a total loss.
Lack of funding for fire departments was cited as one of the causes for the late response, since the nearest fire department to the house was closed down, and firefighters from two other fire departments had to be called to the scene.
