NORTH READING — Chief Don Stats reports that the North Reading Fire Department extinguished a working fire in a large shed on Chester Road on Wednesday afternoon.
On Wednesday, April 12, at approximately 4:30 p.m., North Reading Fire received multiple 911 calls reporting a structure fire at 11 Chester Road.
The duty crew consisting of Capt. Jon Burt and Firefighters Mike Tannian, Nick Carney and Chris Hadley were first to arrive on scene, and discovered heavy fire showing from a large shed.
Due to hazardous contents inside the shed, companies, which also included a ladder truck and Engine 2, mounted an aggressive exterior attack on the fire and were able to protect another shed that was exposed to the flames.
Companies were able to knock down the fire in about 20 minutes. There were no reported injuries.
Mutual aid was provided by firefighters from Wilmington. Station coverage was provided by the Lynnfield and Wakefield fire departments.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit attached to the State Fire Marshal’s Office, North Reading Police, and North Reading Deputy Chief Barry Galvin, who is the department’s fire investigator.
“I’d like to commend the duty crew on an aggressive attack that limited damage to the other exposed building,” said Chief Stats. “They did an excellent job of keeping the community safe on a day when fire conditions are extremely challenging.
Dry, windy weather led the National Weather Service to declare a red flag warning on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. A red flag warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or will shortly. Any fires that start may spread rapidly and become difficult to extinguish.