NHFD Photos
Tuesday's 117 Alden Ave. fire.
Battalion Chief Greg Carroll speaks at the scene.
Dozens of firefighters raced to Alden Avenue in the Westville flats Monday afternoon to battle a two-alarm fire that displaced two people.
The call came in at 3:44 p.m.
Here’s what happened, according to NHFD Battalion Chief Greg Carroll:
Firefighters from six engine companies and two truck companies began arriving at the scene at 117 Alden Ave. within two and a half minutes of the call.
They found smoke coming from the eaves and fire in the rear and the side of the three-story one-family house.
No people were home at the time. The firefighters forced their way in through the locked front door. They encountered “a lot of smoke” and flames on all three floors, as well as “quite a bit of clutter” and “disarray.” The house was apparently under renovation.
They got the fire under control in 45 minutes. They rescued two dogs, who were treated on site by emergency medical techs. “Several other small pets” were rescued, too.
One firefighter was taken to the hospital for treatment of a cut to a hand.
The fire started on the first floor. Carroll said the cause was not immediately clear; the fire marshal’s office is investigating.
A woman who appeared to be connected to the residence declined comment. Asst. Chief Daniel Coughlin confirmed that the fire had displaced two people.
The Colonial home had been owned from 1981 through the early 2000s by the late Nobel Prize-winning economist James Tobin and his wife Elizabeth Tobin.
Paul Bass Photos
Battalion Chief Carroll debriefing with some of the firefighters after the blaze was brought under control.