It had all the elements of a major disaster – a building fire on a chilly night, with unusually dry conditions and flames fanned by gusting winds in a dense residential neighborhood.
But speedy action by Plymouth firefighters Wednesday limited the damage to a two-story garage and nearby outbuilding – which was used as an art studio – at the rear of a 14 Alden St. house. They also extinguished a small nearby brush fire that easily could have spread to other houses on the North Plymouth street. Most important, no one was injured, nor was anyone displaced from their home.
A relative of the property owners said the fire started in the studio building and spread to a shop area on the second floor of the garage.
When firefighters arrived at the scene just after 7 p.m., the garage was already fully enveloped, according to the fire department. A second alarm was almost immediately called, which Fire Chief Neil Foley said was crucial to containing the flames.
“The first-arriving companies made a quick decision to call for backup and having all that manpower made all the difference,” Foley said in a press release. The added help made it possible “to contain the fire to the outbuildings and avoid the occupied structures,” he said.
Despite the weather conditions, firefighters were able to control the flames within an hour. While they were at the scene, departments from Bourne, Carver, Duxbury and Kingston provided coverage at Plymouth’s fire stations.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Mark Pothier can be reached at mark@plymouthindependent.org.