Victim ID’d In Birch Hill Road Blaze, Fire Alarms Found Not To Be Working

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Photo: Non-working fire alarms were a likely factor in the death of a Belmont resident last month.

A pair of non-working residential fire alarms were a likely factor resulting in the death of a woman on Birch Hill Road last month, according to Belmont and State Fire officials.

While the cause of the 4 a.m. blaze on April 24 officially remains “undetermined,” it appears the fire was accidental, said Belmont Fire Chief David Frizzell and State Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey in a joint statement on May 8.

“Fire investigators determined the fire started in the kitchen. They found no signs of an intentionally set fire. There was evidence of several potential accidental causes, but not enough to narrow it down to one most probable cause. Therefore, the fire will remain officially undetermined,” said the release.

Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan has identified the victim as Alison Bane, 55, who was the only occupant of the house. Bane, who previously lived in Arlington and Maine, graduated from Boston College in the 1980s with a BA and a law degree and practiced in Maine. The house is owned by a trust in her parents’ name.

There was one minor firefighter injury. A cat was rescued from the house and is being taken care of. Damage to the split-level single-family home is estimated at $150,000.

Frizell said first arriving firefighters did not hear any smoke alarms sounding. During the investigation, one battery-operated alarm on the lower level of the home had no battery and appeared to be of 1980s vintage. Pieces of a similar style smoke alarm were found on the second floor, but it may not have actually been installed. There were no carbon monoxide alarms in the home.

“It is important to replace smoke alarms … every ten years. Like every other appliance in your home, they do not last forever,” said Frizzell. “Time is your enemy in a fire where you may have less than three minutes to escape. Expired alarms cannot be counted on to work in a fire.”

Ostroskey said the Belmont incident was the second fatal fire in April where the smoke alarms were decades old and failed to work when residents needed them most.

“I urge everyone to take the time this spring to ensure all smoke alarms that need them to have fresh batteries and replace any alarms that are more than 10 years old.” he added.

“Ask yourself, ‘when did I last replace these smoke alarms? Were they here when I moved in?’ Smoke alarms made in the last decade have a date stamped on them. Older alarms do not.”

Investigators from the Belmont Fire and Police Departments and State Police assigned to the Office of the State Fire Marshal and to the Office of the Middlesex District Attorney jointly investigated the fire. The Department of Fire Services’ Code Compliance Unit provided assistance.

For more information on smoke alarms, go to: https://www.mass.gov/service-details/smoke-and-carbon-monoxide-alarms

One Dead In Birch Hill Road Fire That Leaves House Heavily Damaged

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Photo: A Belmont Fire official examines a house at 81 Birch Hill Road damaged by a fire on Friday, April 24.

A female resident died after being rescued by Belmont firefighters during an early morning blaze that heavily damaged a split ranch house at 81 Birch Hill Road on Friday, April 24.

The unidentified victim was discovered by firefighters in cardiac arrest in the 60-year-old structure located near Lantern Road and abutting Hinckley Way, according to Belmont Fire Chief David Frizzell.

The victim, described as not being the homeowner, was taken by Belmont ambulance to Mt. Auburn Hospital in Cambridge where she was pronounced dead.

The fire is under investigation by the Belmont Fire and Police departments. As there was a death caused by the fire, the Massachusetts State Police, the State Fire Marshal, and the Middlesex District Attorney are part of the probe.

The fire was phoned in at approximately 4:09 a.m. by a motorist driving on Route 2 who reported it five minutes after first seeing smoke coming from the structure, said Frizzell.

Firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke coming from the attic windows, which resulted in a second alarm being called. Fire personnel discovered the fire on the first floor in the area of the kitchen which had raced up into the attic, said Frizzell.

It took about half an hour to put out the fire. Firefighters remained at the scene to search for any smoldering flames. A cat was found under a bed in the basement and handed over to Belmont Animal Control, said Frizzell.

Frizzell said the structure while heavily damaged “was by no means a total loss” with the most fire damage in the kitchen area and in the attic floorboards.

Belmont Engines 1 and 2, Ladder 1 and Rescue 1 fought the fire while Arlington and Cambridge’s Fire assisted at the scene. Waltham and Watertown provided covered at Belmont’s firehouses.

Fire Hits Trapelo Location Known As Home To Diners [Video]

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Photo: Belmont Fire fighting a smoky blaze at 628 Trapelo Rd.

A late night fire on Sunday, Oct. 27 left heavily damaged a location known as the home to several diners over the past decade, according to Belmont Fire Department.

The blaze in the basement of Tropical Diner at 628 Trapelo Rd. near the intersection of Mill Street caused “extensive smoke … water and heat damage” to the establishment which opened in March of this year, said Belmont Fire Chief David Frizzell at the scene of the fire.

The 6,000 sq.-ft. restaurant and a two-family apartment occupy the site near Waverley Square and adjacent to the Beaver Brook Reservation.

A resident living in the apartment called 911 dispatch at 9:48 p.m. to report smoke coming from the diner’s roof, said Frizzell. Belmont Engines 1 and 3, Ladder 1 and Rescue 1 responded to the site within a few minutes of the initial call where firefighters discovered a fire in the basement of the diner. The blaze was extinguished within an hour.

Frizzell said an investigation has begun to determine how the fire started. Equipment from Watertown and Cambridge assisted at the scene. Frizzell noted that as of 11 p.m. no civilians or firefighters were injured.

The location has been home to diners since the mid-1970s when Andros Diner occupied the spot. Run by the Manetas family, the business was foreclosed by its lender in March 2011 owning the town $75,000 in back taxes.

A year later, in July 2011, Sweet Peach Diner opened, only to close in May 2015. The next occupant was the Phinix Grill that started in November 2015 before the owners turned their attention to operating a food truck and shut its doors late in 2018 followed by the Tropical Diner.

The long standing complaint among potential customers of all the diners has been the lack of parking, with patrons relying on a few off street space along busy Trapelo Road.

Belmont Fire Holds Open House Wed. Oct. 9

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Photo: Belmont Fire Open House on Wednesday, Oct. 9.

The Belmont Fire Department is holding a free Open House, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at the BFD’s headquarters, 299 Trapelo Rd. Sponsored by the Dedham-based pizza chain Papa Gino’s, the open house is aimed at teaching families fire safety and prevention practices.

“This event allows us to reach out to the community and arm local families with fire safety tips and procedures,” said BFD Chief David Frizzell. “Our open house allows families to get together and better prepares them to react if a fire does start.”

Commemorating October being National Fire Safety Month, attendees will receive safety tips such as “stop, drop and roll,” learn how to plan escape routes and how to crawl safely through a smoke-filled room. In addition, Papa Gino’s will provide free pizza and children’s fire safety activity sheets.

Two New Belmont Firefighters Off To Training At Fire Academy

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Photo: New Firefighter Paramedics meet the Belmont selectmen (left) Firefighter Paramedic Michael Goode, Firefighter Paramedic Justin Perino, Selectmen Chair Adam Dash, Selectmen Tom Caputo, Mark Paolillo and Fire Chief David Frizzell

Two newly hired firefighters will soon begin three months of recruit firefighting training at the Brookline Fire Academy as they start their careers with the Belmont Fire Department.

On Monday, Feb. 4, Firefighter paramedics Justin Perino and Michael Goode were sworn in by Town Clerk Ellen Cushman, starting two months of orientation and training within the department. After returning from Brookline, the pair will be on shift in July. Both firefighters grew up in Belmont and still live in the Town.

“I welcome firefighters Perino and Goode to the Department,” said Fire Chief David Frizzell.

“I wish them a long healthy and safe career serving the residents of the town. Their families and friends should be proud of their commitment to their profession and community.”

[VIDEO] Smoky Fire In Belmont Center Damages Stores, Studio, Residence

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Photo: Firefighters battling a two-alarm fire in Belmont Center.

A two-alarm fire damaged a number of businesses, a yoga studio and a residence in the heart of Belmont Center just after 1 p.m. Monday, Sept. 24.

According to Belmont Fire Chief David Frizzell the smoky blaze started in a nail salon in the basement of the building occupied by Leon and Co. hair salon on Leonard Street. The fire quickly moved up the walls of the building which was renovated a number of times over the years. The fire reached the top floor of the bodytrio studio at the corner of Alexander Avenue. Fire crews from Belmont and Cambridge fought the stubborn smoke and fire inside the walls.

Most of the damage to the structure was limited to water and smoke, said Frizzell.

Smokey Blaze Closes Popular Shangri-la Restaurant On Belmont Street

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Photo: The closed restaurant Shangri-la on Belmont Street 

A favorite Taiwanese restaurant on the Belmont/Watertown/Cambridge lines is closed after a smokey fire emanating from the kitchen brought the entire Belmont Fire Department to the scene on Saturday afternoon, July 21.

Heavy, black smoke billowed from the front and back doors of Shangri-la at 149 Belmont St. as passersby called in the fire to Belmont dispatch “at 3;34 p.m.,” and then confirmed by an off-duty police officer, according to Belmont Fire Chief David L. Frizzell who was at the scene. The blaze reached the level of a “working fire.” 

The fire, located in the cook line, started when an employee was using a wok with oil. Belmont Street inbound toward Cushing Square was closed as apparatus from Belmont and Watertown arrived with Belmont and Watertown police. Mutual aid came from Cambridge and Arlington which manned Belmont’s stations.

After a few minutes, “the fire was contained to the [kitchen] and no [firefighter] was injured,” said Frizzell.

The blaze appeared to remain in the kitchen and did not jump to the walls or the building’s superstructure, said Frizzell. The fire remains under investigation and investigators could later request that “things be pulled apart” to search for hot spots. 

“But they have a lot of cleaning up to do,” said the chief. 

Fire Damages Several Businesses in Cushing Square

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Photo: Belmont Fire Chief David L. Frizzell at the scene

A building’s sprinkler system did its job preventing a fire from spreading and allowed the Belmont Fire Department to extinguish a one-alarm blaze that damaged three businesses in Cushing Square around 8 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 14.

A fire alarm was activated at 8:23 p.m. at 448 Common St. in what is called The Spirited Gourmet Building, said Belmont Fire Chief David L. Frizzell at the scene. When fire equipment arrived two minutes later, the fire control panel indicated a blaze in Pilgrim Shoe Repair.

Upon gaining access, crews discovered the store full of smoke and small fire in the back corner of the operation.

“The sprinkler’s worked controlling the fire long enough for our personnel to knock it down,” said Frizzell. Fire crews spent nearly two hours searching for “hot spots” in the walls and ceiling. Besides the Pilgrim, water damage was reported in The Spirited Gourmet and the Fred Astaire Dance Studio.

An investigation into the cause of the fire is underway.

Choate Road Two-Family Damaged in Two-Alarm Fire

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Photo: The aftermath of the fire on Choate Road.

A Choate Road two family was heavily damaged after a two-alarm fire ripped through the rear of the structure and into the attic on Friday afternoon, Sept. 1.

A Belmont firefighter suffered a non-life threatening injury fighting the fire. None of the occupants at 3-5 Choate Road near the corner of Dalton Road were hurt; two who lived in the top condo unit escaped the fire while the occupants of the second were not home.

According to Belmont Fire, the 1:44 p.m. fire began in the rear of the two-and-a-half story structure built in 1928 and shot up the back of the building and into the attic via the eaves. First responders from Belmont Ladder 1 witnessed a blaze along the exterior of the building and coming through the roof. Firefighters from Belmont and Cambridge fought the fire as ladder trucks allowed crews to cut a hole in the ceiling to access the attic blaze. The fire was put out and the building secured.

Belmont received mutual aid from Cambridge, Watertown and Arlington departments.

Photos of the fire can be viewed on the website of the Belmont firefighters’ union, Local 1637.

Belmont Fire Praised for Action At Waltham ‘Epic’ Fire

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Photo: At the Waltham fire; Lt Gerry Benoit (E1), Asst Chief Wayne Haley (C2), and FF Brian O’Neill (E1 Hydrant). (Photo Credit – Lt Rob Wollner)

Belmont Fire Chief David Frizzell described the inferno his department help fight in Waltham last month was simply “epic.”

“You don’t see many of those during your career,” Frizzell said describing the 10-alarm fire on July 23  that ripped through a five building, a 260-unit luxury apartment complex under construction on Cooper Street. 

But in the past nine months, Belmont firefighters have now fought a pair of 10-alarm fires, the other occurring in December when a massive fire engulfed eight buildings in East Cambridge, destroying a city block.

“We joke about ‘over the river and through the woods’ because this fire was on the other side of the Charles River. We laid every stitch of hose we had on the truck, and we went over a bridge and through the woods to get to the back door,” said Frizzell.

An “alarm,” as in a “one alarm fire,” is different in each municipality said Frizzell; in Belmont, it would be two engines, a ladder truck, rescue team and the shift commander that make up a single alarm. In larger communities, it’s four to five engines, upwards to a pair of ladder trucks and fire rescue.

Belmont’s fast response and time spent at the fire was recognized this week by Waltham Mayor Jeannette McCarthy in a proclamation, noting Belmont Fire’s “quick response and quality decision making” was critical in “preventing the fire from spreading, and causing further damage and possible injuries or fatalities.” 

The Belmont personnel who responded included:

  • Asst. Chief Wayne Haley
  • Lt. Gerard Benoit 
  • FF Chris Drinan
  • FF Brian O’Neill
  • Chief David Frizzell
  • Lt. Michael Madruga
  • FF Ace Elefteriadis
  • FF Ryan Keene

On Thursday, Aug. 10, the fire was determined to be arson and a $100,000 reward is being offered by the property owner and contractor for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible.