2 Bells! North Andover Castlemere Place.

Yesterday started off as a warm and very quiet day until around 15:30 hours when North Andover got a 911 call for a report of a structure fire on Castlemere Place. Although they are cool and collected you could hear excitement in the dispatchers voice as they put this one across the air waves. They gave it out, signed on the units and then gave an update "PD on scene smoke & fire showing" to paraphrase.

The 1st Due crew Engine 2 out of Uptown on Salem Street which is just about a mile away arrived and called for the working fire reporting the same as the PD smoke and fire showing rear of the attached garage.

As crews where stretching lines and tagging hydrants. As the truck crews dropped the out riggers and throw the stick the senior officer was reaching for probably the most valuable tool on scene at that moment his radio "Command, Fire Alarm give me a second alarm!" and with that call the companies which where already screaming towards the town would go right by their station assignment and continue into the scene.

The stick was up and piped flowing water. Crews had the big gun out with 2.5 lines but this would be a difficult one to get as the fire appeared to run the underside of a wood shingled roof.

Crews attempted to make a push on it from inside but the roof was becoming unstable and crews viability in the unsafe conditions was hampered by heavy smoke conditions Command ordered the Evac. of the building and the big lines went into operation in a surround and drown operation.

Eventually the fire was knocked back enough and smoke lifted crews made a push to the 2nd floor / attic space to put the TKO on this one.