A one alarm fire in Greenfield on Monday afternoon has left a home uninhabitable and a dog dead.
The fire, which occurred in the basement of a Lake View Circle home around 1:38 p.m., took about 20 minutes to contain, according to David Hall. Hall said that the house is repairable but inhabitable due to structural damage.
“This fire could have been a lot uglier if we didn’t get to it as soon as we did,” said Hall. “Basement fires are typically the most dangerous because the fuel load is sitting on top of the fire.”
Hall said that he was at the fire about five minutes after the notification came in, and that a fire apparatus was on scene within another five minutes.
“”That’s a pretty good response, especially during a weekday,” said Hall. “That quick response helped us to save the house.”
There were no injuries to the one person home or any of the firefighters that responded, but Hall said that a dog that lived at the residence could not be saved after likely inhaling too much smoke. Hall said that a Peterborough medic attempted CPR on the dog after it was found.
“It was definitely one of those situations where you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face,” said Hall. “It was dark, hot, and smoky in there.”
The cause of the fire, according to Hall, was unattended cooking. Hall says the building was a single family home with what appeared to be an in-law apartment in the basement.
Hall said that there was structural damage to the floor joists and that the damage will have to be repaired before the house can be lived in again.
Nicholas Handy can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 235 or nhandy@ledgertranscript.com. He is also on Twitter @nhandyMLT.