What could have been a devastating fire was quickly quelled by Oak Bluffs first responders early Friday morning.
Oak Bluffs Police officers discovered a fire under the front porch of 43 Circuit Ave., a three-story, multi-amily home, at around 3 am.
Oak Bluffs Police Chief Jonathan Searle said two of his officers, Andrew Nicholson and Connor Bettencourt, discovered the fire while patrolling the town on a night shift, and hit the flames with extinguishers as Oak Bluffs firefighters were en route to the scene.
“In all seriousness, it could’ve been a disaster if it got blazing,” said Searle in a message to The Times.
Oak Bluffs Fire Chief Stephen Foster said that the house is located in a densely packed section of Circuit Avenue, and the wood-frame building where the fire started, like many of the surrounding buildings, is old and easily ignitable.
Foster commended the Oak Bluffs Police officers for holding the fire at bay and successfully evacuating tenants from the building while firefighters were on the way.
“They knocked the main body [of the fire] down. They also successfully evacuated tenants from the three-story, wood-frame building,” said Foster. “Everybody was accounted for, Fire arrived, and we immediately extinguished the fire and checked for fire extensions into the main interior.”
Foster said no smoke or fire made its way inside the building, and the fire did not extend past the front porch.
“O.B. building officials and inspectors were notified, the building owner was on location, and occupants were allowed back into the building,” said Foster.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
“Kudos to O.B. Fire, EMS, and Police for working so strongly together. We were on scene for close to an hour, no injuries,” said Foster.
