Two adults were seriously injured in a house fire that through a home of a dog breeder in Orange, Massachusetts and led to power outages overnight, officials said.The fire started just before midnight Wednesday at 99 West River St. and grew to three alarms, officials said.Neighbors said the family bred dogs and had about 20 dogs at the home, including a litter of puppies.”I heard a lot of hollering from my bedroom window, and when I got up … all I had to do was look out the window and it was fully enflamed,” neighbor Judy Lovell said.Responding fire crews encountered heavy fire in the back of the home. Firefighters rescued one resident who uses a wheelchair who was trapped in the burning home.The person rescued from the home and another adult were taken to Athol Memorial Hospital and later transported to Boston hospitals with seriously injuries. Neighbor Pat Seeley said she also saw firefighters and police officers rescuing some of the dogs.”I watched them carry them out of the house by the scruffs of their necks. And it didn’t look like they were alive, but they were. It’s just happened so fast,” she said. National Grid said it power to around 2,300 customers at the request of the fire chief to help make the scene safe. “Our foremost concern right now is for two members of our community who were seriously injured last night,” Orange Fire Chief James Young said. “I want to thank our mutual aid partners for their vital assistance, and I especially want to recognize the firefighters who risked their own safety to rescue one occupant from a life-threatening environment.” Two other adults in the home escaped without injury. First responders also did what they could to rescue pets.”There were several dogs that were rescued by first arriving Orange police officers and by firefighters later on in the fire. There were also multiple dogs that perished in the fire, as well,” Young said.Officials said the fire does not appear suspicious, adding wood stoves were used to heat the home, which was destroyed.“Home heating equipment is the second-leading cause of residential fires in Massachusetts,” State Fire Marshal Jon Davine said. “If you use a fireplace or wood stove to heat your home, please use it safely. Use a fireplace screen or keep the door to the wood stove closed to prevent embers from escaping. Keep curtains, bedding, and anything else that can burn at least three feet away on all sides. And be sure you have working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms on every level of your home.”Officials said significant water was used from the hydrant system, and residents may notice brown, rusty-colored water for several hours.Most customers who lost power had it restored in under an hour, and the remaining customers were restored at around 6:30 a.m., National Grid said. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Orange Fire Department and State Police fire investigators assigned to the State Fire Marshal’s office.
Two adults were seriously injured in a house fire that through a home of a dog breeder in Orange, Massachusetts and led to power outages overnight, officials said.
The fire started just before midnight Wednesday at 99 West River St. and grew to three alarms, officials said.
Neighbors said the family bred dogs and had about 20 dogs at the home, including a litter of puppies.
“I heard a lot of hollering from my bedroom window, and when I got up … all I had to do was look out the window and it was fully enflamed,” neighbor Judy Lovell said.
Responding fire crews encountered heavy fire in the back of the home. Firefighters rescued one resident who uses a wheelchair who was trapped in the burning home.
The person rescued from the home and another adult were taken to Athol Memorial Hospital and later transported to Boston hospitals with seriously injuries.
Neighbor Pat Seeley said she also saw firefighters and police officers rescuing some of the dogs.
“I watched them carry them out of the house by the scruffs of their necks. And it didn’t look like they were alive, but they were. It’s just happened so fast,” she said.
National Grid said it power to around 2,300 customers at the request of the fire chief to help make the scene safe.
“Our foremost concern right now is for two members of our community who were seriously injured last night,” Orange Fire Chief James Young said. “I want to thank our mutual aid partners for their vital assistance, and I especially want to recognize the firefighters who risked their own safety to rescue one occupant from a life-threatening environment.”
Two other adults in the home escaped without injury. First responders also did what they could to rescue pets.
“There were several dogs that were rescued by first arriving Orange police officers and by firefighters later on in the fire. There were also multiple dogs that perished in the fire, as well,” Young said.
Officials said the fire does not appear suspicious, adding wood stoves were used to heat the home, which was destroyed.
“Home heating equipment is the second-leading cause of residential fires in Massachusetts,” State Fire Marshal Jon Davine said. “If you use a fireplace or wood stove to heat your home, please use it safely. Use a fireplace screen or keep the door to the wood stove closed to prevent embers from escaping. Keep curtains, bedding, and anything else that can burn at least three feet away on all sides. And be sure you have working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms on every level of your home.”
Officials said significant water was used from the hydrant system, and residents may notice brown, rusty-colored water for several hours.
Most customers who lost power had it restored in under an hour, and the remaining customers were restored at around 6:30 a.m., National Grid said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Orange Fire Department and State Police fire investigators assigned to the State Fire Marshal’s office.