WORCESTER, Mass. — Firefighters braved icy and frigid conditions on Monday morning as they battled a wind-driven blaze that spread to multiple homes in Worcester.
Crews responding to a report of a fire at 36 Stoneland Road just before 5:15 a.m. found heavy flames tearing through the second and third floors of the multi-level home, according to Worcester Assistant Fire Chief Adam Roache.
“Very windy conditions. We had embers flying that spread to two or three other houses that we had to deal with as well,” Roache said. “Really difficult conditions this morning. Eventually, it got up to a third alarm to get extra resources to the scene.”
The Boston 25 Weather team said high winds will likely cause problems from tree to power line damage throughout the day with gusts of 55 to 65 mph persisting into the evening.
There were no injuries reported in the fire, other than a few slips and falls.
“The roads are obviously very slippery, lines are freezing…But the firefighters overcame that,” Roache explained. “We’re trying to get the DPW here to just salt and sand.”
At least five people were displaced from 36 Stoneland Road, but firefighters were still getting counts on the other impacted buildings.
“I imagine that a couple more from the neighboring buildings will surface and we’ll probably have some displacements there as well,” Roache said.
The flames were knocked down and brought under control before 7 a.m.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
