Date of Incident: 12/18/2013
Location of Incident: 72 Green St
Nature of Call: Building fire
Time Reported: 2:21 am
Time Under Control: 5:35 am
Number of Alarms and Times Upgraded: 2nd alarm – 2:23 am, 3rd alarm – 2:34 am
Type of Building: Apartment building
# of Apartments: 5
Building Owner & Address: Newleaf Elite, LLC Dummerston, VT
Injuries? Yes
How Many? 2
Type? 1 Occupant – smoke inhalation
1 Firefighter – irregular heart beat
Fatalities? No
Number of Trucks From Brattleboro: 5
Number of Brattleboro FF’s: 20
Mutual Aid Towns to the Scene: Hinsdale, Putney, Chesterfield, Keene, Greenfield, Guilford, Bernardston, Rescue Inc, Brattleboro Police, Brattleboro Public Works, Red Cross
Mutual Aid Towns Covering Brattleboro Stations: Northfield, Vernon, Keene, Wilmington
Damage (Minor, Moderate, Extensive): Extensive
Time in Service: 9am
Cause: Under investigation
Action Taken/Details: At approximately 2:21 am firefighters on duty at Central Station heard a lot of noise coming from the area behind the station. Going to a window to investigate they observed fire coming from the back of a building on Green St, up on the hill directly behind the station.
A 1st alarm was transmitted with an engine and the ladder truck from Central Station and an engine from Station 2 responding. Upon arrival at 2:23 am Capt Howard reported smoke showing from the front of the building and ordered a 2nd alarm. Building occupants evacuating from another apartment told firefighters that the tenant was still in apartment #4.
A hose line was stretched down the hall leading to #4 in an attempt to make entry but firefighters were quickly driven out by fire and heat. Going to the rear of the building to try another way in they found the tenant on the back porch, who was removed from the area to a waiting ambulance.
Heavy fire engulfed the basement and 1st floor before being knocked down with hose streams from the outside. Once the larger amount of fire was knocked down crews re – entered the building to perform a search for any other occupants and finish extinguishment. The fire was declared under control at 5:35 am.
The occupant of apartment #4 was transported to BMH by Rescue Inc for smoke inhalation and a firefighter was treated at the scene and transported to BMH for an irregular heart beat.
The building received extensive damage and the Red Cross is assisting those displaced. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Brattleboro Fire Department Investigation Team with assistance from the VT State Police Investigation Team.
Name/Rank of Person Doing Press Release:
Michael Bucossi
Fire Chief
