BLOG: Reading Firefighters Complete Goruck Challenge

Four Reading firefighters recently completed a grueling challenge is a series of physical tests similar to those designed for U. S. Army Special Forces.

Firefighters Respond to Mill Street Chimney Fire

According to scanner reports, a fire began after 7 p.m. and was knocked down in less than an hour.

Firefighters knocked down a chimney fire on Saturday night, responding to calls from Mill Street just after 7 p.m. According to scanner reports, the fire began around 7:30 p.m., but was knocked down in about one hour. A dispatch operator at Reading Fire Department said at about 8:30 p.m. that crews were still at the scene. Twitter reports indicated that smoke was showing from the chimney, but firefighters had the situation under control before the fire reached the remainder of the house. Check back with Reading Patch for more details as they become available.

• Photos (1)

Garage Fire on Bancroft Avenue, Reading

The fire was contained to a detached garage.

The Reading Fire Department received a call around 11:30 a.m. Thursday regarding a fire on Bancroft Avenue. No one was injured. According to the fire department, a retired Wakefield firefighter reported the garage fire at 48 Bancroft Avenue. He could smell the flames from his home and called it in. The fire was contained to the detached garage and took about 10 minutes to put out, the fire department said. Firefighters were on scene for under an hour. No one was home when the fire started and there were no injuries reported. All of the items in the garage were damaged, but there was not a vehicle parked in the garage. The house was not affected. The cause seems to be electrical, but the investigation is still open, according to the fire …

• Photos (1)

Light Fixture Fire Hits Dana Road Reading Home

A fire in a light fixture extended into a partition.

Reading firefighters responded to a working fire on Dana Road Saturday morning that began in a light fixture, according to alerts from the Breaking News Network (BNN). Firefighters arrived at 48 Dana Road shortly after 11 a.m. on Saturday with smoke in the building. All firefighters were working with one hose line stretched into the home. Fifteen minutes later, reports were that the smoke was caused by a fire in a light fixture that extended into a partition according to the BNN. Firefighters were still reporting smoke in the home, but there was no smoke nor any flames visible from the street.

• Photos (1)

Family Displaced After Fire in Woburn Street Home, Reading

There were no injuries.

A small kitchen fire caused damage to the entire first floor of a home on Woburn Street in Reading. No one was injured, but the family is unable to return to their home. According to the Reading Fire Department, the call came in around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday for a fire at 76 Woburn St. The fire originated in the stove and damaged the cabinets and surrounding area. However, smoke and sut damaged the whole kitchen, hallway and entire first floor, the fire department said. The fire was extinguished in about 15 minutes. The Health Department deemed the home uninhabitable due the damage. After the house is cleaned and the Health Department approves it, the family will be able to return. No one was injured in the fire.

• Photos (1)

Fire Overnight in Reading

There was a dryer fire on Village Street Tuesday night in Reading.

The Reading Fire Department responded to a fire on Village Street Tuesday night around 12:15 p.m. The fire started in the dryer, which was located in the basement. No injuries were reported. According to the fire department the call came in at 12:11 p.m. for the fire at 132 Village Street. When firefighters first arrived, there was a heavy amount of smoke coming from the house. It took them about 30 minutes to put the fire out. The dryer, the area surrounding it and the windows in the basement were damaged. The fire department estimated about $10,000 worth of damage. The windows had to be boarded up, but the house was turned back over to the residents last night, the fire department said. 

• Photos (1)

Fire at Lava Laundry Wednesday Night

The fire was put out in seconds.

There was a small fire at Lava Laundry Wednesday night. The fire was put out in seconds and no one was injured. According to the Reading Fire Department, the call came in around 7:45 p.m. After reporting to the scene, firefighters were able to extinguish the dryer fire within seconds. The damage was contained to one dryer. No one was injured and the laundromat is open.    

• Photos (1)

You Ask... Patch Answers

Is the Fire Engine That Caught Fire in Reading Fixed?

Residents want to know if the fire engine that caught fire in July is fixed. Here is the scoop.

Welcome to You Ask...Patch Answers where we answer readers questions. We recently received questions about the fire engine that caught fire in Reading. Here's your answer. Back on July 5, a Reading fire engine caught fire on Lowell Street. According to Reading Fire Chief Gregory Burns, he is working with town's insurance company to get the engine fixed. The insurance company will have to examine the engine to determine the cause of the fire. The engine also has to be examined in the presence of a representative from Caterpillar and Seagrave, the manufacturer. The cause should be determined this week and then the engine will be repaired. According to Burns, the engine was a fairly new addition to the department. They received it in late …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Cause of Grove Street Fire Determined

Reading Fire estimates the damage.

The fire on Grove Street in Reading Sunday was determined electrical, according to Reading Fire Department Chief Gregory Burns. He roughly estimated about $30,000 to fix the damage. An electrical fire displaced a Reading family from their Grove Street home Sunday night. The residents were not injured, due to their quick thinking. Reading Fire Captain Kenneth Campbell said the family smelled smoke and immediately called 911. The Fire Department arrived around 3:23 p.m. and were able to extinguish the fire after cutting the electricity and a hole in the roof.  Burns said the cause of the fire was accidental due to an electrical problem within the home. Although the fire was contained, the attic, part of the wall and roof were damaged. Burns …

•  2 Comments
• Photos (1)

Craig Craigson

3:21 pm on Monday, August 6, 2012

Thank common sense and the Reading Fire Department   more ›

Family Escapes Injury in House Fire

Firefighters called the family "quick thinking" as they evacuated and called 911 to prevent further damage.

Editor's note: This article was updated at 7 p.m. on Sunday. An electrical fire has displaced a Reading family for at least one night. But thanks to the quick thinking residents, the incident wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Reading Fire Cpt. Kenneth Campbell said a family was inside of its Grove Street home on Sunday afternoon when they smelled smoke coming from near their front door. The home’s smoke detectors went off and the family was able to rapidly call 911 and evacuate to their yard, awaiting the arrival of firefighters. Though the flames spread through the attic and smoke was showing through the roof when the Fire Department arrived around 3:23 p.m., firefighters quickly extinguished the fire. Firefighters cut electricity to …

• Photos (1)