Published in the January 21, 2016 edition.

WAKEFIELD — Firefighters were able to quickly contain a fire in the drop ceiling of a downtown nail salon last night but it was touch and go at first, according to Fire Chief Michael Sullivan.

The calls came in at 7:35 p.m., Sullivan said, after the owner of Nail Expressions at 416 Main St. noticed sparks falling from the ceiling of the business on the first floor of the old Taylor Building at the corner of Main and Lincoln streets. A passenger getting off the MBTA bus also noticed the fire and called 911.

On arrival, firefighters found a smoke condition in the business and pulled down the drop ceiling. They located the fire and were able to knock it down quickly, Sullivan said. Firefighters initially had the Municipal Gas and Light Department shut down power to the entire building until they were able to isolate the fire to the nail salon.

Firefighters did pull a hose to the second floor of the building, Sullivan said, because some of the interior walls of the nail salon were warm to the touch. They had to force entry to a couple of second floor offices but did not have to use any water on the second floor. They did have to vent smoke on both the first and second floors.

Main Street was blocked off for a brief time until firefighters were sure they had a handle on the fire.

Sullivan said that it appears to have been an electrical fire.

Sullivan said that the fire containment operation went very well. He praised responding firefighters for quickly knocking down a small fire that could have been much worse considering the age of the building.

Wakefield Engines 2, 4 and Ladder 1 all responded to the scene. A Melrose engine stood by in case they were needed. Stoneham covered Fire headquarters until the Wakefield engines returned at about 10 p.m.

The Fire Department also handled 13 other calls yesterday, eight of which were for medical aid.

At about 5 p.m., firefighters went to a Morrison Road home after the owner reported an odor of natural gas. Firefighters did get an elevated reading for gas and notified the WMGLD, which found a leak from a valve, which they replaced.

The Fire Department also responded to several calls for malfunctioning fire and carbon monoxide detectors.