Apartment clubhouse uninhabitable after major fire
By Mike Berger
A clubhouse at Blue Hill Village caught fire last week. (CFD photo)
A heavy fire, believed to be caused by discarded smoking materials, substantially damaged a clubhouse at the Blue Hill Village Apartments last week.
At about 4 a.m. on Thursday, May 4, the Fire Department received an alarm and 911 call from a resident reporting a building fire at 735 Randolph Street. Upon arrival, firefighters found heavy smoke coming out of the roof of the clubhouse and a significant fire on an exterior wall with fire entering through the soffit into the attic. Both the Engine 2 and Engine 6 crews immediately advanced hose lines on the exterior fire and then entered the building to attack the large volume of fire in the attic.
The fire went to two alarms and mutual aid was provided by Stoughton, Norwood, Sharon, Milton, and Randolph. The two Canton stations were covered by Westwood and Walpole.
There were no injuries to residents or firefighters reported. The building functions as the clubhouse and gym so it was unoccupied at the time. The building commissioner, gas inspector, and electrical inspector were called to the scene to evaluate the structural integrity of the building and to secure the utilities. The building is currently uninhabitable and damage was estimated at $200,000.
The investigation continues internally and by State Fire Marshal’s Office.
Fire Chief Charles Doody said initial indications are that the fire was caused by the careless disposal of smoking materials in the mulch that surrounded the building. Doody said mulch is a combustible material that can be easily ignited by improperly discarded smoking materials.
“Hundreds of small and large fires are started this way every year,” Doody said. “The risk is that what starts as a small outdoor mulch fire can quickly spread to buildings. A mulch fire can be well underway before someone notices or is alerted by smoke alarms or sprinkler systems activating.”
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Posted by Mike Berger
on May 12 2017. Filed under News, Police & Fire.
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