Date: March 23, 2020
Location: Northbridge, Massachusetts (USA)
Address: 496 Purgatory Road, 01588
Type: Potential Dust Fire
Fuel: Wood Dust
Industry: Firewood Production (Wood and Wood Products)
Equipment: Unknown
Company: West End Firewood
Database Incidents: None Recorded
Loss: No Injuries
Capital Cost: Unknown
Status: Open
Confirmation: Unconfirmed
Company Description:
According to the company’s website, West End Firewood is a firewood processing company in Northbridge, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1988 and produces both seasoned and untreated firewood.
Incident Description:
On March 24, 2020, MassLive reported a 6-alarm fire at a firewood processing company in Northbridge, Massachusetts.
Firefighters responded at 8:12 p.m. to what was initially reported as a brush fire. Two or three structures were fully engulfed, and within minutes of their arrival, five or six were on fire and a seventh was igniting.
First responders shuttled water to the scene via tankers and pump water from Meadow Pond. Strong winds and a broken water main a mile away made the fight challenging, but the fire was brought under control between 1:00 a.m. and 2:00 a.m.
Firefighters remained on the scene until the following afternoon to put out the fires smoldering in large piles of wood. The Westborough Fire Chief said they planned to dig through the large mounds of burned firewood and the remains of the buildings to extinguish anything that was still burning.
Three buildings and two trucks were completely destroyed. According to MetroWest Daily News, one person was arrested for interfering with firefighting efforts.
No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Sources:
MassLive
MetroWest Daily News
