Methuen, MA 3rd Alarm - 11 Ashton Place - 12/22/16

Methuen fireighters were dispatched late Thursday night December 22nd 2016 to a reported building fire at the "Ashton Arms Apartments" located at 11 Ashton Place. Companies arrived to find fire showing from the 2nd floor on the "D" side of a large multi unit apartment building and requested the 2nd alarm as the fire was extending to to the unit above on floor 3.

With additional companies on the way, the initial companies attempted an interior attack on the fire. A Fire Lt operating on the 3rd floor then transmitted a "Mayday" over the radio after he fell thru the floor and into a closet on floor 2. Firefighters were able to gain entry to floor 2 and rescue the trapped firefighter, bringing him out safely and without significant injury. Shortly thereafter all companies were ordered out of the building as the fire had extended from floor2, into floor 3 and into the attic. A third alarm was requested bringing in additional manpower from nearby Lawrence and Salem NH with their tower (SFD also had an engine on scene as RIT on the 2nd alarm). Companies transitioned over to a defensive operation for the duration of the time I was on scene with master streams from the Methuen and Salem towers as well as deck guns and several big lines around the fire building. The Methuen DPW was specail called to the scene as temps dipped below freezing and turned the entire fireground into a virtual ice rink.

It took several hours to bring the fire under control and begin overhauling thereafter. The Red Cross was on scene to assist the families displaced by the fire.