There were no injuries, but a pet rabbit was rescued and six residents displaced as a result of a three-alarm fire at a Groveland home Monday.
Acting Fire Chief Daniel Briscoe said the Groveland Fire Department were dispatched to a fire just after 6 p.m., at 182 Center St., a two-story, two-family building. Firefighters found heavy fire showing and quickly called for a second and third alarms, bringing in mutual aid from West Newbury, Amesbury, Newbury, Merrimac, Haverhill, Lawrence, Georgetown, Boxford and Topsfield.
“Our firefighters worked quickly and aggressively to save this home from becoming a total loss,” Briscoe said, thanking, what he called, “our extensive and dedicated mutual aid partners who came into Groveland not only to help work the fire scene but also to provide station coverage during the incident.”
A GoFundMe page was created for the Douphinette family, long-time Groveland residents.
Fire companies established a water supply and attacked the fire from inside and outside of the building. The blaze was knocked down at 6:37 and declared under control at 7:22 p.m.
Haverhill Fire Engine 3 was sent to Haverhill Stadium for smoke in the area, but discovered the haze was coming from Groveland. A few minutes later, the engine continued to Groveland.
TrinityEMS provided an ambulance and its firefighter rehabilitation unit. The Groveland Building Inspector, Groveland Municipal Electric Department and National Grid Gas were also there to assist with utilities.
Briscoe said an attached two-car garage and two vehicles were destroyed. The right housing unit sustained some fire, smoke and water damage, but the entire home was deemed uninhabitable until repairs can be made.
The Groveland Fire Department has some staffing from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., but is 100% “on call” after 4 p.m., meaning that its fire stations are not staffed and the department relies on dedicated residents to respond when the alarm sounds. The first responding fire crews, coming from their homes, to the two fire stations, were dispatched at 6:04 p.m., were at their station by 6:07 and arrived on scene at 6:09.
The origin and cause of the fire are under investigation by the Groveland Police and Fire Departments, with assistance from the State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit assigned to the State Fire Marshal’s Office.