Published December 6, 2019
MELROSE — Fire officials still don’t know what caused an early-morning garage fire on Cleveland Street a couple of Sundays ago, but one thing is for certain: the blaze did quite a bit of damage.
According to Fire Chief Ed Collina, eight vehicles, a pop-up camper, a vinyl fence around the property, everything that was inside the garage and a little bit of the residence suffered in the aftermath of the November 24 blaze. Additionally, Firefighter Dana Kent — a member of the first responding crew on Engine 2 — was burned on the hand in the firefighting effort.
FIREFIGHTERS responded to a garage fire at 15 Cleveland St. on Sunday, November 24 at 5:35 a.m. Firefighter Dana Kent and fire Lt. Brian Moran are advancing a so-called big line on the initial attack. (Courtesy Photo)
Around 4:35 that morning, firefighters answered a medical aid call on Lynde Avenue. The rescue truck (the department’s ambulance) and the ladder truck went to the scene. Around 5:05 a.m. the ambulance took someone to the hospital. As the ladder truck crew prepared to head back to headquarters, firefighters detected a distinct burning odor in the Lynde Avenue neighborhood and drove around for about 20 minutes looking for its source. When they couldn’t find it, they continued back to the firehouse.
At 5:35 a.m. a call came in reporting a garage fire at 15 Cleveland St. The crew on Engine 2 arrived first, with Kent and Lt. Brian Moran attacking the heavy fire with a 2 1/2-inch line as steam started to come off of the main residence. The practice of “big fire, big water” was followed by Kent and Moran, and while they did not put out the flames, they certainly darkened the fire down and stopped the house from igniting.The crew on Engine 3 also attacked the fire with what is called the “big line,” another 2 1/2-inch hose.
“This was a quick knockdown of very heavy fire,” said Collina, who credited everyone involved in the fight.
The garage — used mostly to store things like a lawn mower and snowblower — was totally destroyed, which greatly hindered fire investigators as they searched for a cause. Everything inside was also lost.
Two vehicles parked in the driveway were damaged. The house suffered some damage from the heat. A camper in the yard was damaged, as was the property’s fencing. Additionally, six vehicles parked in a lot adjacent to the garage also suffered damage of varying degrees.
Collina estimate damage at upwards of $50,000.
