WAKEFIELD — A three-alarm fire in the high-rise apartment building at 95 Audubon Rd. yesterday drew fire departments from around the region to assist Wakefield crews and to help evacuate tenants. The occupants of at least six of the units were displaced by the fire and smoke and water damage.
There were no injuries to any residents of the apartment building, but one firefighter suffered a laceration on his hand during the fire.
Wakefield firefighters under the command of Captain Randy Hudson responded to a reported fire at 95 Audubon Rd., Colonial Point Apartments, at approximately 11:25 a.m. on Sunday. The initial call was made to 911 from a resident of unit 302 followed almost immediately by the activation of the municipal fire alarm master box and a private central station fire alarm.
Firefighters arrived to find a heavy smoke condition in the third-floor corridor and zero visibility inside unit 302. Fire sprinklers had activated inside the kitchen area where the fire had originated, effectively containing the fire to that area but did not completely extinguish it. Crews from Engine 1 and 2 deployed hose lines from the building’s standpipe system and extinguished the remaining fire. Occupants from the other third floor units were also evacuated from the building.
Significant smoke was reported on the fourth floor of the building as the crew from Ladder 1 evacuated that floor. Captain Hudson struck a second alarm at 11:41 a.m. due to the volume of smoke spreading throughout the building, bring engines from Reading, Stoneham and Melrose and a North Reading Ladder truck to the fire. These crews relieved Wakefield firefighters and assisted in the removal of building occupants.
Chief Sullivan and Deputy Chief Thomas Purcell arrived on scene and set up an expanded incident command system, deploying crews throughout the building to vent smoke from floors and meter the 178 apartment units for the presence of carbon monoxide. Chief Sullivan struck a third alarm at 12:18 p.m. to summon extra manpower to the scene. The third alarm brought a Saugus and Woburn engine and a Lynnfield ladder truck to the fire. The fire inside the unit 302 was extinguished by 11:45 a.m. but it took until approximately 1:15 p.m. to clear the building of smoke and check all units for carbon monoxide. The all out alarm was not sounded until approximately 3:15 p.m. A Malden engine and ladder company and a Middleton engine covered Wakefield during the fire.
Fire damage in the building was confined to the kitchen area of apartment 302. Several other apartments on the third floor as well as those located underneath apartment 302 on the second floor suffered significant smoke and water damage. The occupants of apartment 302 will be displaced for an extended period while occupants of several other units will remain out for a lesser period.
The management company, Carabetta Enterprises, has provided temporary lodging for displaced residents at the nearby Four Points Hotel. The American Red Cross was requested and responded to the scene to assist the displaced residents.
Troopers from the State Fire Marshal’s Office were contacted to assist local fire investigation. The fire was determined to be accidental, starting in the kitchen of Unit 302, most likely in the vicinity of the stove.
Sullivan credited Captain Hudson and the on-duty firefighters for the quick extinguishment of the fire.
“First arriving firefighters were confronted with a significant fire in a 12-story apartment building with a high life hazard,” Sullivan said. “They quickly located the fire and extinguished it, summoning additional help to ensure that the building’s many residents were safely evacuated from the building. Excellent cooperation between all mutual aid communities ensured a rapid and safe conclusion to this incident.”
