Fire District 1 responds to multiple calls on Fourth of July

In the evening of July 4, Dartmouth Fire District 1 responded to multiple incidents.

At 10:53 p.m., District 1 was dispatched to a residential home on Meadow Shores Drive that had been set on fire by lightning. 

With the Padanaram Bridge closed, Engine 3 was stationed on the west side of the causeway and was able to respond immediately, along with Engines 1 and 2 and Tower 1, which responded from headquarters.

When crews arrived, they found smoke filling the building on multiple levels. Mutual aid was called in from District 3 to cover the east side of the district while crew members took care of the fire. 

District 1 Chief Timothy Lancaster  said that it’s not clear whether the lightning struck the building or nearby, as there isn’t evidence where it struck.

He said that the lightning may have struck the ground then traveled through a gas line or power source.

The fire department was able to turn off the power for the gas, which prevented re-ignition overnight. The fire was contained to a wall behind the stove, and no one was injured.

The homeowners have contacted an electrician, and Lancaster said the house is fit for habitation after power was turned back on. 

While on the scene of this structure fire, Engine 1 was re-dispatched to assist medics with a cardiac arrest.

"As we witnessed last evening, the closure of the causeway does not only affect those living on the west side of the district, it affects us all," District 1 wrote in a Facebook post.  "The events of last evening highlighted the foresight of our fire officers with the planning and strategic placement of fire apparatus during the holiday bridge closure."

Fire Districts 2 and 3 didn’t receive any calls on the holiday.