Beverly Fire Department

Dive Incident

At 1217 on July 18, 2010, Beverly Fire Department Divers were requested to assist Firefighters and Police Officers in the Town of Danvers after a truck rolled into the water at Pope’s Landing’s public launch. There were no occupants in the vehicle and the response was solely to recover the truck and trailer.

Upon arrival, divers found the vehicle submerged in approximately six feet of water thirty feet from shore. Two markers on the trailer were still above the water line as the trailer had spun when the truck rolled leaving it in slightly shallower water. Divers Steven Grant and Jon palm entered the water and attached a cable to the front of the truck so that the truck and attached trailer could be removed from the water.

The vehicle, a 2000 Ford Ranger, was removed without incident and divers were clear of the scene by 1311.

Marine 1 Construction Continues
Construction of the Department's brand new Fire Boat continues with the fabrication of the hull and cabin assemblies. The vessel will be called Marine 1.

5 Alarm Fire in Beverly

At 1606 on Sunday, July 04, 2010, the Beverly Fire Department was dispatched for a report of a building fire at 5 Mill St. Police were the first to arrive at the scene finding heavy fire across the front of the 50 foot wide three story tall wood framed structure fully involved in fire. Officers made entry to insure the building was evacuated. Deputy Fire Chief William Walsh was the first fire official on scene ordering a second alarm upon arrival.

As Deputy Walsh assessed the scene, the fire rapidly progressed threatening two adjacent structures and spreading to two cars and a telephone pole in front of 5 Mill St. Deputy Chief Walsh requested a third and fourth alarm within four minutes of arriving to get equipment and manpower to the scene. As additional crews arrived, firefighters knocked down heavy volumes of fire at the front of the structure. Due to the rapid fire progression, crews making an interior search were forced from the structure to fight the fire from outside.

Crews attempted several times to fight the fire from the inside, but the building had to be evacuated as a result of concerns with the roof and additional fire progression. At 1709, Deputy Chief Walsh ordered a 5^th alarm bringing the total number of fire apparatus at the scene to 12 Engines and 4 Ladders. With the additional manpower, crews were finally able to gain a foothold on the fire within the confined space between the third floor ceiling and the roof.

In addition to the hot July 4 air temperatures, crews were face with the laborious task of pulling all of the ceilings in the third floor in full personal protective gear. Crews were constantly being rotated in and out of the structure as more and more hidden fire was uncovered and attacked. Building construction, dense traffic areas and overhead power lines all worked against the firefighting effort. “The firefighters really took a beating today” said Chief Paul Cotter “their hard work can’t be understated today.” Fortunately, support was received by Rehab 5 and 4 Northeast Regional Ambulances.

By the time the fire was knocked down at 1906, more than 15 people were left without a home at 5 Mill St and an additional 15 were unable to stay in their apartments at 9 Mill St for the night. One resident was transported to the hospital for non life threatening injuries, one police officer and 2 firefighters were also transported to the hospital for treatment of heat related injuries. The Red Cross and the YMCA were working with displaced families.

The 100 year old structure suffered damage on all three floors. The building is valued at $570,300 according to the latest tax assessment.

Fire Investigators from the Beverly Fire Department, Beverly Police Department and Office of the State Fire Marshal are on scene investigating the cause of the fire. They will remain on scene with several firefighters throughout the night.