November
20, 2007
MEDIA
RELEASE
Contact information
For
Immediate release
Chief Michael B. Mansfield
Phone
#603-765-2216
Deputy Chief James Dolan
Phone #978-475-1281 x2017
On
November 20, 2007 at 12:44 hrs. a telephone call from HSP Alarm Company was
received in Andover Communications reporting a general fire alarm activation at
the Wingate Nursing Home located at 80 Andover Street in Andover Massachusetts.
Andover
Fire Rescue 1st alarm assignment units were dispatched to the address
at 12:44.
Upon
arrival at 12:46, the first arriving unit reported that the building was being
evacuated. Simultaneously, a
911-phone call into Andover Communications from a Wingate employee stated there
was a fire on the ground floor of the facility.
Upon
further investigation Andover Fire Rescue personnel found a heavy smoke
condition on the ground floor and that the source of the smoke was coming from
the heating ducts. A rooftop-heating
unit was found to be the source of the smoke and a Wingate engineering employee
stated he had been working on the unit when a malfunction within the unit
occurred and a fire broke out.
The
fire was contained to the rooftop-heating unit and the incident was placed under
control approximately an hour later.
The
Wingate Nursing Home administration and staff did a wonderful job in relocating
the residents in the effected areas to “safe areas” in the facility in
accordance with their in-house emergency operation plan.
Their swift actions allowed the fire personnel to locate the source of
the fire and begin the smoke evacuation process almost immediately
The
incident caused minor smoke damage to the ground floor.
The heating unit sustained heavy fire damage and the damage estimates are
undetermined at this time.
The
Massachusetts State Fire Marshal’s Office and Andover Fire Rescue personnel
are investigating the exact cause of the heating unit fire.