Downtown fire contained thanks to quick-thinking youths
By Mike BergerFire Chief Charlie Doody will ask selectmen to issue a commendation for two Canton youths, W.T. Khoury and Matt Casamento, after both contacted the Fire Department — one by cell phone and another by using a nearby call box — to alert police to a growing fire inside Cathy’s Nails, located at 574 Washington Street, on Saturday evening around 7:45 p.m.
Doody said the fire was quickly contained and caused minimal structural damage, although there was some smoke and water damage as well. Doody said the fire was accidental and was caused by the malfunctioning of electrical wiring connected to a fish tank. The shop remained closed as of Tuesday due to ongoing cleanup efforts.
Doody said the two youths were walking through Canton Center when they smelled smoke, and upon further investigation, noticed flames coming out of the back of the shop. One called the Fire Department on his cell phone and the other pulled the call box located at the intersection of Washington and Bolivar streets. The callbox alert and the phone call arrived almost simultaneously at the CFD communications center on Revere Street.
“Their quick alertness to check out the smoke and to alert us allowed us to contain the fire quickly,” Doody said. “We got to the fire early. Another 20 minutes and it could have been another story.”
The chief also recognized the efforts of the first responders, Lt. Tom Driscoll and firefighters Robert Manning and Michael Hache, for their forced entry and containment efforts.
CFD reminds residents to replace smoke detector batteries
With the end of Daylight Savings on Sunday, November 2, the Canton Fire Department is reminding homeowners to pick up new batteries for their smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.
According to Fire Lt. Greg Woodbury, “One of the best things we can do as we get our homes ready for winter is to make sure smoke and carbon monoxide alarms have fresh batteries. A working smoke alarm is your first line of defense in a fire. Working smoke alarms give you precious time to use your home escape plan before poisonous gases and heat make escape impossible. Time is your enemy in a fire.”
Woodbury said smoke alarms last about ten years while older carbon monoxide alarms last five to seven years. There are also some new CO alarms that just came on the market with a sealed 10-year lithium battery. The batteries in these alarms never need changing, but the entire device needs to be replaced every 10 years.
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=27439
Posted by Mike Berger
on Nov 6 2014. Filed under News, Police & Fire.
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