Published March 22, 2019
MELROSE — The city’s firefighters battled a couple of blazes to begin their week, one that they believe began in a garage on Cumner Avenue and the other an attic fire on Cranmore Lane.
A significant malfunction in a motor vehicle may be to blame for the Cumner Avenue fire Monday afternoon.
According to fire officials, they went to 18 Cumner Ave. around 2:55 p.m. after being told a garage was on fire there. When the crew from Engine 3 arrived, they found the structure to be fully involved in flames and the back of house beginning to melt from the heat. There was also a motor vehicle in the garage. Both vehicle and garage were totally lost to fire.
Additionally, a shed at 22 Cumner Ave. suffered damaged, as did a couple of cars parked in a shed at 483 Swains Pond Ave.
Crews from Engine 2, the ladder truck, a rescue truck and Saugus’ Engine 1 also went to the scene.
THE FIGHT with an attic fire on Cranmore Lane Tuesday afternoon included the ladder crew cutting ventilation holes in the roof. (Photo courtesy of the Melrose Fire Department)
The fire in the garage had too much of a head start, but firefighters put water on the structure to “darken down” the flames and then put water on the back of 18 Cumner Ave. because it eventually was on fire.
Crews were in the area until about 4:50 p.m.
Damage was estimated at $75,000. Capt. John White, head of the city’s Fire Investigation Unit, learned that the homeowner had returned to the house with his vehicle, parked in the garage, and about a half hour later noticed the structure on fire.
One firefighter suffered a foot injury and was taken to an area hospital.
On Tuesday afternoon, around 1:25, firefighters were notified of a fire at 12 Cranmore Ln. after the homeowner reported hearing a noise on the second floor then seeing fire and melted plastic dripping from a ceiling fan.
Firefighters on Engine 2 raced to the Horace Mann School neighborhood and reported smoke showing from the attic. Lt. Alan Johnson’s men advanced an attack line, soon having to pull down part of a second floor ceiling to access the attic. Engine 3 fed a line to Engine 2 supplying additional water and then took a second line into the house, goint to the second floor.
The ladder crew cut two ventilation holes in the roof.
There was extensive fire damage in the attic and water damage throughout the rest of the house as crews had to open up walls to reach flames that had got into the attic of an addition put on the house about 10 years ago.
The fire fight involved much digging out because flames had breached into walls.
While no injuries were reported, damage was estimated at at least $150,000.
Capt. White’s unit determined the cause of the blaze to be faulty wiring unrelated to the aforementioned ceiling fan.
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Engine 3 also went to Revere early Wednesday morning to assist battling a 4-alarm fire in a three decker at 23 Thornton St.
The crew left Melrose around 1:40 a.m. and returned around 6 a.m.
