Crime & Safety

Fire Log: Alarming Construction Debris

Incidents and emergencies handled by the Belmont Fire Department.

Stuck on Hill Road

Sept. 16 – It's happen again: the elevator at 55 Hill Rd. broke down with someone inside. Just after noon, Engine 2 and Ladder 1 were sent to the building to remove a person inside the cab that was stuck on the third floor. The occupant, who is a resident of the building, was getting anxious so the crews forced the door open and removed the person. The elevator was shut down and left out of service for the elevator repair company. The person who was stuck was medically evaluated and returned to her apartment.

All fall down

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Sept. 18 – It was a busy afternoon and night for Belmont crews as the wind got stronger and wires and cables came down.

• Just after 6:30 p.m., crews were dispatched to the intersection of Belmont Street and Oakley Road were they found the MBTA trolley wires on the ground. They stuck around until the T's line crew arrived.

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• At a quarter past 7 p.m., Ladder 1 arrived on Cross Street to find a falling branch taking down a Cable Television wire. The homeowner was advised to  call their cable company. The police stayed

• Five after 10 p.m., Engine 1 discovered a tree had fallen on Springfield Street disconnecting the electrical service to a pair of two-families. Belmont Municipal Light Department was called and responded.

Locust Street gas leak

Sept. 19 – Just before 3:30 p.m., a Belmont Command Car was traveling on Locust Street when the firefighter thought he smelled the odor of mercaptan – that colorless gas with a smell like rotten cabbage that's added to natural gas – in the outside air. After getting out of the vehicle, the Jake located the potential source after his gas detector – a CGI unit – displayed a much higher than normal readings in front of 11 Locust St. Fire Command requested that National Grid as well as Engine 2 respond to the scene. Companies performed a check of the residences in the immediate area to make sure that gas hadn't entered into homes and basements. Normal readings displayed by the CGI in each residence that we were able to check. National Grid arrived and began work on the leak.

Alarming trash

Sept. 21 – The call came in to Belmont Fire dispatch: A smoke alarm was blaring on Payson Road at a home that was under renovation. Construction sites have the potential of being a fire risk due to many factors including combustible debris and heating sources. Not wanting to take a chance, Engine 1, Ladder 1 and a command car arrived at 308 Payson Rd. and indeed heard the alarm sounding. On further examination, the beeping alarm was found, discarded in a construction Dumpster. Apparently, the alarm was thrown out during the renovation and someone forgot to remove the batteries.


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