5 North Street
On the morning of Thursday, January 22, a fire broke out at the house on 5 North Street in Mattapoisett. At the three-story house subdivided into four apartments, one victim was rescued from the building and brought to the hospital with another being treated for smoke inhalation on site. Other building residents evacuated or weren’t present but were accounted for.
According to the Mattapoisett Fire Department, an alarm was sounded and Fire Chief Andrew Murray and retired firefighter Mike Hickey arrived on scene at 11:06 am. They confirmed there was a fire and there were still people in the home. The pair worked to evacuate residents and inform others to stay away. Three fire trucks arrived on the scene, Engine 3, Engine 1, and Ladder 1.
A second alarm was reached, calling upon neighboring towns for assistance. Through mutual aid agreements, Marion, Fairhaven, Acushnet, and Rochester fire departments also arrived on the scene. Wareham Fire Department provided coverage to the others. Mattapoisett Police were also on the scene to help with security, traffic, and transporting a resident to the hospital.
Firefighters climbed to a lower roof and used their water hose running from Marion’s ladder truck Engine 3 and an axe to break in through the wall. In the Mattapoisett Fire Department’s official statement, they said, “This was extremely difficult with this type of older style construction, where the fire can travel in the walls, ceilings, and floors. I’m exceptionally proud of the work and efforts that everyone demonstrated today.”
One resident was treated for smoke inhalation and brought to the hospital. A firefighter was also later brought to the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery. Families in the home are currently displaced and are being assisted by the American Red Cross.
This is still a developing story, and the cause of the fire is still being investigated. Extensive damage was caused to the structure, and it is not yet known if the home can be partially saved or will require demolition.
2 Martha’s Way
On Monday, just after 2:00 pm, the Mattapoisett Fire Department was called to a structure fire at 2 Martha’s Way, off Bowman Road. When arriving on scene, Fire Chief Andrew Murray reported that the two-story single-family home was fully involved but all occupants were out of the building.
Overall, the efforts to extinguish the fire was made difficult by the cold and icy road conditions following the winter storm the day prior. Additionally, the remote location of the home meant the departments had to lay down long runs of hoses just to get water to the scene, with water pressure often being a problem. All efforts were focused on fighting the fire from the exterior due to the risk of collapse.
Mattapoisett received assistance from Marion, Wareham, and Rochester at the scene. Acushnet Fire Department covered the Fire Station during the incident.