Fire Log: False Alarm Leads to Evacuation

Yummy

Sept. 3 – Just before 7 p.m. on Labor Day Engine 1 was sent to Wilson Avenue for the report of an outdoor odor of smoke. When they got there, the crew reported finding the fire; it was a backyard barbecue on Francis Street. There is no description what was being grilled. 

Early morning odor

Sept. 4 – It was coming close to 2 a.m. when a firefighter in one of the command cars smelled the strong odor of natural gas at Waverley Crossing on Trapelo Road. Sure enough, it was a outdoor gas leak. The firefighter measured the air and discovered it was saturated with gas. He contacted the fire alarm and requested that National Grid respond to the scene to further investigate the leak. It's not the first time and sadly, not the last time it will happen on this stretch of Trapelo.

Everything was alright

Sept. 6 – Minutes before 10 p.m., Engine 1, Ladder 1 and Rescue 1 took off to nearby Moraine Street to investigate a possible natural gas leak inside the house while also checking-up on the well-being of those inside the multi-family house after receiving a call from a concerned third party. The crew on Engine 1 went through the building but could not get a response from the folks in one of the units. But wait, it appeared that the problem was actually in the adjacent unit. Luckily, the person in that unit was not in distress. In fact, the renter said he did have a problem with his gas stove top earlier that day but "everything is normal now."

Up on the roof

Sept. 7 – Just before 7 p.m., Engine 1 and Ladder 1 were sent to the Belmont Media Center on Lexington Street to investigate a fire alarm being activated. Like so many of these calls, the smoke detector went off due to a malfunction. After the alarm company was called to fix things, the ladder truck which initially returned to the station came back to the scene to check out the Center's roof. Getting a good look from the ladder, firefighters reported the building had a roof hazard – the light fixture appeared to be unsecured and building fascia proximate to roof line was peeled up from the building – and the Town's Building Inspector was sent to investigate. The inspector first had the building evacuated and caution tape used to restrict access to the area beneath the roof hazard. The property owner was told of the problem on the roof and the alarm company said they would be back to service the system.