Barrel blaze

Sept. 28 – At a quarter ’til 8 p.m., fire teams were sent to the field adjacent the Winn Brook Elementary School where they found a white plastic trash barrel on fire. Fire personnel made quick work of the blaze and the Highway Department was asked to remove and clean up the debris.

Belmont Light in charge
Sept 29 – A little after 8 a.m., Engine 2 was sent to Pleasant Street near Cityside Subaru for reports of arching electrical wires. Belmont Light was also on the scene, cutting power to the line and putting out a small fire on the line with an extinguisher.

Gas issues in the basement
Sept. 29 – A minute before 5 p.m., Engine 2 took off to a School Street address to investigate a carbon monoxide alarm going off. The homeowner said the basement CO detector displayed readings of 25 parts per million, a bit too high to hang around. While the homeowner’s detector was outdated (the model was last manufactured in  1995), there was some gas in the basement, about 10 ppm; there was normal readings on the first and second floors. Personnel decided to shut down the burner and the separate heating unit and red tagged them for service. After the building was ventilated, a second set of readings were conducted and it turned out normal.

The first of many flue calls this season
Oct. 2 – At just about 2:20 p.m., the department went hurrying to a York Road house after a report the house was full of smoke. The Engine 1 crew entered the house and discovered that someone hadn’t open the chimney flue before starting a fire in the fireplace. The result: heavy smoke throughout building. Personnel from Engine 1 and Ladder 1 extinguished the fire and ventilated the building.

Caught in time
Oct. 2 – At 5:35 p.m., fire crews set off to the Baptist Church on Lexington Street after a building fire alarm rang. On arrival, the crew from Engine 1 discovered the cause: an overheated light ballast behind the stage. The light was shut off, just in time.

Too many cooks
Oct. 3 – A quarter ’til 9 a.m., all fire companies headed to a two family on Waverley Street in which smoke was coming out of a second-floor window. They arrived to find the resident of the second floor resident waiting on the street. The Engine 1 crew went inside to investigated while personnel from Rescue 1 evacuated the first-floor occupant. Turned out the blaze was a cooking fire. Ladder 1 assisted Engine 1 in venting the second floor and shutting down the stove. Fire officials told the tenant not to use the stove until her appliance was serviced by a licensed professional.

Coal fired, not today

Oct. 3 – At a quarter past 11 a.m., Ladder 1 arrived at Mark & Toni’s Pizza on Trapelo Road in Cushing Square. Not to pick up that day’s lunch special but to investigate a natural gas odor. Since it did smell a little gassy, as a precaution the employees were asked to step outside. While the department and the gas company could not find abnormally high readings using their CO detection equipment, the business’ heating unit was red tagged, just in case. Fire officials spoke further with the business owner and both parties agreed to close the business for the day.

Slow cooking shut down
Oct. 3 – Just after noon, yet another call concerning a possible gas leak, this time in a two-family on Falmouth Street.  Turned out the odor was coming from the gas stove on the first floor. Firefighters soon discovered that the oven was on at a low temperature and food was cooking inside. Crews shut off the stove and the gas main before venting the apartment by opening the windows and doors. The department notified National Grid and red tagged the stove for good measure.

It happens to us all 
Oct. 3 – At just about 9:20 p.m., fire crews were sent to McLean Hospital due to a fire alarm. The cause: burned popcorn in the microwave.