bitter
TEMPERATURES ----
MADE AN ALREADY-
DANGEROUS SITUATION
EVEN WORSE FOR
FIREFIGHTERS IN
TAUNTON THIS MORNING.
TAKE A LOOK AT THIS.
THE WATER THEY USED
TO FIGHT THE FLAMES IN
THIS HOME ---- FROZE
WITHIN SECONDS ---
FORCING CREWS TO
CONTEND WITH BOTH FIRE
AND ICE.
OUR PINPOINT WEATHER
TEAM COVERAGE
CONTINUES NOW ---- WITH
EYEWITNESS NEWS
REPORTER ERIC
HALPERIN.
(EH)
AFTER THIS NEW YEAR'S
DAY FIRE A TAUNTON
FAMILY IS NOW WITHOUT
ITS HOME.
AN EXACT CAUSE OF THE
FIRE HAS NOT BEEN
RELEASED YET.
FIREFIGHTERS ON SCENE
TOLD ME THERE WAS SO
MUCH SMOKE FROM THIS
FIRE...THEY COULD SEE IT
FROM ONE OF THEIR
STATIONS AS THEY LEFT
FOR THE CALL.
11
SMOKE POURING OUT OF THIS
PARKER TERRACE HOME IN
TAUNTON NEW YEARS
MORNING...CREWS FACING AN
UPHILL BATTLE WITH THE
FLAMES AS SOON AS THEY GOT
TO THE SCENE.
AT THE TIME OF ARRIVAL BOTH
THE SECOND FLOOR AND THE
ATTIC WERE PRETTY MUCH
FULLY INVOLVED.
TAUNTON FIRE CHIEF TIM
BRADSHAW SAYS TWO
SMALLER FIRES WERE
ALREADY GOING ON IN THE
CITY WHEN THEY WERE CALLED
TO THIS ONE AROUND 835 THIS
MORNING. WHILE FIREFIGHTERS
WERE BATTLING THE BLAZE
PART OF THE ROOF CAVED IN.
BUSY START TO A MORNING
SHIFT, THESE GUYS HAVE ONLY
BEEN HERE FOR A COUPLE OF
HOURS, THEY'LL BE HERE TIL
TOMORROW MORNING.
ACCORDING TO THE CHIEF THE
HOUSE IS LIKELY A TOTAL LOSS.
FIREFIGHTERS WERE
SALVAGING WHAT THEY
COULD...TAKING VETERAN
FLAGS OUT OF THE HOUSE. ALL
8 PEOPLE INSIDE GOT OUT OK
AND NO ONE INCLUDING
ANYONE FROM THE FIRE
DEPARTMENT WAS HURT.
BUT THE BITTER COLD ONLY
MADE FIGHTING THE FLAMES
MORE DIFFICULT. SOME OF THE
GROUND LADDERS BEGAN TO
FREEZE UP AND WATER
SURROUNDING THE TRUCKS
STARTED TO FREEZE.
WATER IS YOUR MAIN ATTACK IN
A FIRE SO WE'RE CREATING
AND ICE RINK EVERYWHERE,
THERE'S SLIPS AND FALLS.
IT TOOK CREWS A LITTLE MORE
THAN TWO HOURS TO GET RID
OF ALL THE FLAMES. AND IT
DIDN'T TAKE LONG FOR THE
WATER THEY USED TO PUT THE
FIRE OUT TO TURN TO ICE ALL
AROUND THE HOUSE.
BATTLED THE ELEMENTS, GUYS
DID A GOOD JOB, IT'S HARD
HARD TO FIGHT A FIRE IN THESE
CONDITIONS.
(EH)
THE RED CROSS AND
TAUNTON EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT AGENCY
ARE HELPING THE FAMILY
WITH A PLACE TO STAY.
THIS IS ONE OF SEVERAL
FIRES IN TAUNTON IN JUST
THE PAST WEEK.
THE NUMBER
FIREFIGHTERS HAVE
DEALT WITH AND THE
CHIEF'S MESSAGE TO
RESIDENTS COMING UP
OF FIRES IN OUR AREA ----
SINCE THIS BITTERLY
COLD WEATHER SETTLED
IN.
IN TAUNTON THIS
MORNING ----
SEVERAL PEOPLE HAD TO
FLEE THEIR HOME ON
PARKER TERRACE, WHEN
FLAMES BROKE OUT.
EYEWINESS NEWS
REPORTER ERIC
HALPERIN SPOKE TO
FIREFIGHTERS ABOUT THE
CHALLENGES THEY FACED
TODAY.
HE JOINS US IN STUDIO
WITH MORE.
(EH)
THE TAUNTON FIRE CHIEF
TELLS ME HIS
DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN
BUSY EVER SINCE
CHRISTMAS...RIGHT
AROUND THE TIME THIS
COLD SPELL STARTED.
THIS LATEST FIRE NOW
LEAVES 8 PEOPLE
WITHOUT THEIR HOME
THIS NEW YEAR'S DAY.
FLAMES AND SMOKE RIPPING
THROUGH THE SECOND FLOOR
AND ATTIC OF THIS TAUNTON
HOME ON PARKER TERRACE.
FIREFIGHTERS NOT JUST
BATTLE THE BLAZE AND THE
SMOKE POURING OUT AT THEM
BUT ALSO THE BITTER COLD.
A FIRE DURING THESE
CONDITIONS IS EVEN MORE
DANGEROUS THAN A FIRE
DURING REGULAR CONDITIONS.
TAUNTON FIRE CHIEF TIM
BRADSHAW SAYS ALL 8 PEOPLE
INSIDE THE HOUSE GOT OUT
SAFELY AND NO ONE FROM THE
DEPARTMENT WAS HURT. BUT
SOME OF THE LADDERS BEGAN
TO FREEZE UP AND WATER
AROUND THE TRUCKS WAS
STARTING TO TURN TO ICE.
IT'S DIFFICULT, DIFFICULT
DIFFICULT DIFFICULT, AND THE
GUYS GOTTA DEAL WITH IT AND
THE GUYS ARE GETTING WET
AND THEY'RE OUT HERE IN
THESE CONDITIONS AND IT'S
UNCOMFORTABLE AND IT'S
TOUGH ON EM.
THIS IS ONE OF SEVERAL FIRES
HIS DEPARTMENT HAS DEALT
WITH IN THESE ICY CONDITIONS
SINCE THE START OF THIS COLD
SPELL.
EYEWITNESS NEWS WAS ON
SCENE OF A CHRISTMAS NIGHT
FIRE THAT FORCED 6 PEOPLE
FROM A MULTI FAMILY HOME ON
SECOND STREET AND A
TRAILER FIRE LAST THURSDAY.
WE'VE HAD A BUSY WEEK, EVER
SINCE, WITH THE COLD HAS
BROUGHT FIRES, THIS IS ABOUT
OUR FOURTH GOOD WORKER
THIS WEEK ALONG WITH SOME
SMALLER JOBS.
A DEPUTY FIRE CHIEF HAD SAID
THE CAUSE OF THE TRAILER
FIRE MAY HAVE BEEN A
RESIDENT TRYING TO THAW
FROZEN PIPES USING A HEAT
GUN. THE CAUSE OF TODAY'S
HAS NOT YET BEEN RELEASED.
YOU JUST HAVE TO BE
CAREFUL, BE CAREFUL AS WE
DEAL THESE CONDITIONS.
(EH)
THE CHIEF SAYS THE
HOUSE INVOLVED IN
TODAY'S FIRE IS LIKELY A
TOTAL LOSS.
THE TAUNTON
EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT AGENCY
AND RED CROSS ARE
HELPING THE FAMILY WITH
A PLACE TO STAY.
I'M ERIC HALPERIN,
EYEWITNESS NEWS.