Gloucester firefighters knocked down a house fire at 33 Beach Road early this morning, but there were no injuries and damage to the home was limited to an estimated $5,000, according to an incident report filed by Deputy Fire Chief Miles Schlichte.
According to Schlichte's report, smoke alarms and the smell of smoke woke up the residents of 33 Beach Road at 3:25 a.m., and they were able to get all eight occupants out of the house, including a young man sleeping in the room closest to the fire.
Careless disposal of smoking materials caused the early morning fire, his report states.
The crew from Central Fire Station, under the command of Captain Joe Aiello, arrived soon after the call was received and extinguished the fire, which ignited in an exterior wall. After knocking down the main fire, crews pulled out parts of the wall and windows to get at the remnants of the blaze, Schlichte said.
Schlichte's report states that damage was limited to $5,000 in exterior siding and windows, but the blaze caused no interior damage to the home, which is valued at some $600,000, the report indicated.
Schlichte also noted that working smoke alarms in the home also played a role in alerting residents to the fire and minimizing the damage.
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Steven Fletcher can be reached at 978-283-7000, x3455, or at sfletcher@gloucestertimes.com.
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