No injuries were reported following a four-alarm fire Saturday afternoon at a single-family home in West Newbury.
West Newbury Fire Chief Michael Dwyer said residents of the home at 2 Reeds Lane were able to safely escape prior to firefighters’ arrival. Damage to the home, however, displaced the family. Firefighters were initially dispatched at about 12:15 p.m. for a report of a lawnmower fire near the home. Upon arrival, firefighters found heavy smoke and flames fully engulfing the side of the home and an attached deck.
“Amesbury Fire Chief (Ken) Berkenbush and I were at the Lower Merrimack Valley Regional Collaborative Vaccine Clinic when I first received the call for the fire,” Dwyer said. “We quickly left the clinic to respond to the scene to assist first responders. Thanks to their immediate and efficient response, we were able to quickly knock down the flames.”
Second, third and fourth alarms were subsequently struck and fire departments from area communities came to assist. Boxford, Merrimac, Groveland, Georgetown, Newburyport, Amesbury and Newbury fire departments assisted at the scene as well as South Hampton Air Trailer, Atlantic Ambulance and West Newbury Police Department. Haverhill, Salisbury, Newton, N.H., and Plaistow, N.H., fire departments provided station coverage and the scene was cleared by 3:35 p.m.
The origin and cause of the fire is under investigation by the West Newbury Fire Department.