BREWSTER – From Brewster Fire: On Thursday October 11 at 5:56 a.m. the Brewster Fire Department was dispatched to a reported structure fire in a private dwelling located at 162 Underpass Road. On arrival Car 231 (Chief Moran) assumed command and Squad 241 under the direction of Captain Chris Flavell initiated an investigation of the residence and discovered a fire on the exterior front side of the building with extension to the interior living room area.
A 1 ¾ inch attack line was stretched and used to extinguish all visible fire. Brewster Ladder 237 arrived on scene and the crew was utilized to conduct a primary search of the residence and assist in overhaul and extinguishment operations. In addition to Brewster units Harwich Engine 65 along with Orleans Ladder 176 responded on the line box assignment to assist with suppression and rapid intervention responsibilities. Eversource responded to the scene to disconnect power to the structure. The Brewster Building Commissioner and Electrical Inspector responded and posted the building as uninhabitable due to the fire damage. The Brewster Police also responded and assisted with resident accountability and street closing duties. Upon arrival of fire department the Brewster Police confirmed all residents had self-evacuated from the dwelling. Further discussion with the four individuals revealed they were alerted to the fire by the homes smoke detectors which gave them time to safely evacuate to the exterior through heavy smoke.
This week is National Fire Prevention Week when all fire departments across the United States are attempting to educate the public on the advantages of practicing fire safety in their homes on a daily basis. This fire specifically highlights the benefits of having working smoke detectors in approved locations throughout a residence. If working smoke detectors were not present in this dwelling the tenants could have easily been overcome by smoke resulting in a loss of life.
The Brewster Fire Department is urging all residents on Cape Cod to take this opportunity to ensure their homes are protected by working smoke detectors and to adopt an approach of practicing fire safety with your children and others within your residences on a daily basis.
