A teen’s swift thinking prevented a fire from destroying one downtown home and spreading to others, Plymouth Fire Chief Neil Foley said.
The teenager, the only person in the single-family house at 3 Howland Court, called 911 around 4 p.m. Thursday. Firefighters responded almost immediately.
“The quick action of the 16-year-old calling 911, allowing for the department’s rapid response, kept this fire from growing out of control and risking adjacent properties,” said Foley.
The fire damaged the small four-room Cape, built around 1900, displacing the residents, two adults and one child, according to Foley.
The house isn’t a total loss — damage was estimated at about $90,000, Foley said.
When firefighters arrived at the scene, a shed attached to the home was “fully involved,” he said.
The shed contained tools, equipment, and flammable liquids, which “likely contributed to the rapid growth and intensity of the fire,” Foley said.
“Our firefighters aggressively attacked the fire and prevented it from spreading throughout,” he said.
The fire was under control within 30 minutes, but crews remained on the scene for an additional two hours to look for hidden fire.
Carver and Kingston fire personnel covered the Plymouth fire stations while Plymouth firefighters were at the scene.
The department handled 12 additional calls during the fire by bringing in firefighters who were on days off, and firefighters from other departments, Foley said
The cause of the fire, which remains under investigation, is not believed to be suspicious, Foley said.
It was the second major residential fire in town this month. On June 8, two attached homes on Cliff Street burned in a blaze that caused an estimated $800,000 in damage. That fire took more than 30 firefighters about five hours to extinguish.
Andrea Estes can be reached at andrea@plymouthindependent.org.