Large, quick response saves Duxbury home from fire
November 15, 2024 | By Lisa Scagliotti Firefighters work atop the Dowsville Road home during Thursday’s fire. Photo by Gordon Miller
Firefighters from seven departments around the region rallied to respond to a house fire in Duxbury on Thursday and despite damage, the home was saved, according to fire officials.
The incident happened in a post-and-beam home on Dowsville Road. A resident was home and called 911 to report a smoke detector going off and black smoke coming from the wood stove.
The neighborhood near Harwood Union High School is in the section of Duxbury covered by Moretown Fire Department which was the first company dispatched to the call, according to Moretown Fire Chief Stefan Pratt.
Immediately after the first call, an update was relayed that the fire had spread in the ceiling or loft near the chimney. Pratt said that news triggered a wider call for mutual aid to other departments in the area.
Moretown Fire was first to arrive at 11:32 a.m. and firefighters observed “turbulent smoke from the roof with fire seen coming through the roof,” Pratt described.
Firefighters began inside the home with two hose lines to deploy water from their 1,200 gal. supply. Personnel from multiple other departments including Waterbury arrived soon afterward to work inside the structure until the fire was under control and extinguished. The effort took multiple hours with the last units leaving the scene just after 3 p.m., Pratt said.
By midafternoon, the fire was nearly out. Photo by Gordon Miller
Noting that his role is not a fire investigator, Pratt said from what he observed, the blaze appeared to have started in the area of the woodstove chimney. And while the home has extensive damage from fire, smoke and water, it is likely reparable, he added.
The home is owned by Sean Riley of Stowe, whose two family members live there. Riley’s son was home at the time the fire started and placed the 911 call, Pratt said.
The fact that someone was home and called for help as soon as a smoke detector was triggered played a key role in the response and the firefighters’ ability to get the blaze under control quickly, he said.
Dowsville Road soon was lined with many firetrucks and vehicles from firefighters who responded. Pratt said he made a wide call for mutual aid given the time of day. Because local fire departments rely on volunteers, it could be difficult for many to respond during a weekday when crew members may be at work, he noted. “You never know how many you’re going to get,” he said.
Crews from multiple fire departments responded to the scene in Duxbury. Photo by Gordon Miller
As it turned out, fire crews from Waitsfield, Waterbury, Middlesex, Berlin, Stowe and Bolton answered the call. “I want to express our gratitude to all of the departments that responded,” Pratt said. In addition to the fire departments, Waterbury Ambulance Service responded and assisted firefighters, and Montpelier Capital Dispatch assisted with communications, he noted.
Click the photos to enlarge.
