ORANGE — On Christmas day, at approximately 4:05 p.m., the Orange Fire Department was dispatched to 15 Jones Street following a report from Shelburne Control Dispatch of a structure fire.
When Orange fire personnel arrived on scene, fire and smoke were billowing off the wooden frame of the three-story, multifamily residential building.
All of the human occupants had made it out of the building by the time fire fighters arrived, however, there were still some dogs in the building, the Orange Fire Department said in a statement on Facebook.
Fire personnel searched the first and second floor of the building where they located four dogs, two that made it out alive, and two – that unfortunately – died.
As interior crews knocked down the visible fire in the residence, a second alarm requesting mutual aid was sounded because the fire had spread within the walls of the building. This required the crews to “chase” the fire, by opening the walls and ceilings of all three floors and the attic in search of the fire.
“Eventually, a third alarm would be sounded to assist with rotating crews working within the building, and to provide additional town coverage,” the Orange Fire Department said. “All pockets of fire were eventually knocked down. The home did sustain significant damage and is not habitable at this time.”
One firefighter was medically evaluated on scene, but not transported to the hospital, and one resident was transported to Athol Hospital with non life threatening injuries.
The Orange Fire Department and the state Department of Fire Services Fire Service’s Investigation Unit are investigating the cause of the fire.
