GROVELAND — Chief Robert Valentine reports that the Groveland Fire Department responded to a house fire on Saturday afternoon.
On Saturday, Dec. 28, at approximately 12:15 p.m., Groveland Fire responded to a fire alarm activation and 911 call reporting a fire at 8 View Hill Road, a group home for individuals with disabilities.
Upon arrival, crews found smoke throughout the one-story home and an active fire in the basement.
Before firefighters arrived, all residents and staff had evacuated the building. Trinity EMS evaluated three residents at the scene for smoke inhalation, but they didn’t require hospitalization. No one else was injured.
Preliminarily, the fire appears to have begun in a gas-fed boiler and extended into the flue system and chimney.
Firefighters stretched a hose line into the basement and, at about 1:10 p.m., brought the fire under control.
The residents will be displaced, but arrangements have been made for them to stay elsewhere.
The West Newbury and Georgetown fire departments provided mutual aid at the fire scene, while Newburyport and Newbury covered stations in town. Trinity EMS also provided rehab for firefighters.
The fire appears to be accidental but remains under investigation by the Groveland Fire Department.
“I would like to commend our firefighters who arrived on the scene quickly and were able to contain the fire to the basement and save the home,” Chief Valentine said. “We thank our mutual aid partners for their assistance.”
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