Belmont Fire Log: '911? Could You Check If My Clothes Are Dry?'

Odor on the Marsh
Dec. 22 – At 20 minutes after midnight, firefighters were sent to a location on Marsh Street after residents complained of smelling Mercaptan, the additive added to detect natural gas. They soon found markings on the street left by the gas company indicating that repairs were being made at that location. The crews notified the utility to come by and do some early morning patch work.

Dusty eve
Christmas Eve – At a quarter past 10 a.m., a fire alarm went off at St. Luke's Church on Lexington Street which brought Engines 1 and 2 and the Ladder truck to the scene. Turns out that workers at the location where performing demolition work and the plaster dust thrown up in the air caused the alarm to activate. The construction workers were advised to clean and then place a bag over the detector, but must remember to removed it as soon as the work day was complete.

Flood for the Holidays
Christmas Eve – Right at 3 p.m., Engine 1 was sent to a residence on Midland Street for a major water leak. More like a flood as firefighters discovered water flowing from the second floor through the home and pooling in the basement, so much so they requested the building inspector to the scene. Ladder 1 stopped by fire headquarters on Trapelo Road on the way to the incident to pick up a heavy-duty dump pump. Firefighters shut off the water main to the home while Belmont Light personnel turned off the power. Turns out that the home is currently vacant and being watched by a woman who last check the house four days before. It took a pair of pumps to remove the water from the basement onto the street which needed to be sanded afterwards by the DPW. The (only) good news: the building inspector could not find any structural issues but requested that the house be secured. 

Their old friend, natural gas
Christmas Eve – Just before half past 4 p.m., residents called firefighters to the corner of Cambridge and Hawthorne streets for an ongoing issue: the Mercaptan odor indicating a natural gas leak. While firefighters' equipment could not detect any natural gas on the street, residents did not wish to have their homes checked.

Is it on high or permanent press?
Christmas Eve – At a quarter 'til 5 p.m., a Slade Street resident called 911. Her emergency? She had left the clothes dryer on before going out and wanted to make sure house was OK.

Oven burns up 
Christmas Day – Around half past 2 p.m., a Douglas Road family's electric oven decided to play the Grinch on Christmas by setting itself on fire. Fire crews found that the oven's control panel had an electrical short and was arcing which caused the minor blaze. Power was shut down and the oven was removed from the house.

Thanks for the suggestion
Dec. 26 – A half past midnight, the owner of a Trapelo Road dwelling discovered that he forgot/lost his keys to this house: he was locked out. When firefighters arrived, they indicated the only possible way to get inside was by breaking a little window. Thinking it over, the owner decided he would contact a locksmith instead.