Lawtown working a 2nd, last night.
For those who follow Lawrence or Lawtown as some call it know a normally response for them is a 2,1&1 response. Those individuals also know; normally; when that 3rd pump is on the call it might be something.
Well, last night Lawtown dropped the tones and the dispatcher rambled out a 3 pump response. Then in his update to 21; the Deputy; he advised that he had a single 911 caller reporting a fire.
The Deputy arrived on scene at 85 Manchester Street, a large 2 story brick mill type. And said he was investigating; but; that investigation did not last long. Within minutes he came on the radio with a loud and somewhat excited voice "21 to 981 Working fire!" And that is the begin of the story.
The rest of the story gets somewhat bland and or interesting. So, as the incident began a fire in the roof of a 2 story mill the Deputy requested a second ladder over the worker, nothing to interesting there! But, as the covering companies and responding units began to find their way to where they needed to be the city began to buzz with the dispatcher dropping boxes. The dispatcher coming on re-directing companies. Trying to fill out responses calling for more out of town mutual aid. Some of those town already stretched thin by sending units and answering their own calls where unable so the frantic shuffle began. One unit would respond to one incident only to clear and go to the next. After about 10 minutes of this command requested a 2nd alarm making things a little more interesting. But by then the city had its coverage and units began heading in; with one exception; Andover engine was directed to respond to the scene from the Methuen end so they came bombing in towards the scene from the Methuen end as directed only to find that their route of travel had a low, low bridge preventing them from driving down Manchester Street.
In the end companies where on scene for a little over an hour with to sticks to the roof, multiple ground ladders and several landlines in use.
One firefighter was transport for smoke inhalations but is believed to be o.k.
