Deputy Fire Chief D.C. Quinn looks on as firefighters respond to a structure fire at 4 Spring Street March 6. Photo by Cassandra Hemenway.
By Carla Occaso with contributions from Cassandra Hemenway
The Montpelier Fire Department responded to a structure fire at 4 Spring Street on March 6. It was doused quickly and no injuries were reported.
A tenant and a neighbor called in a report of smoke from the top of the building around 3:56 p.m. And when firefighters responded a few minutes later, black smoke could be seen coming from the roof, according to Deputy Fire Chief D.C. Quinn. The fire appeared to have been caused by wiring in the wall of the third floor kitchen, Quinn said, and since firefighters were able to respond within three minutes of the report, it was all taken care of before it could get worse.
“Had the fire started around midnight, It would have been a different story,” Quinn said, noting that the department would not have been notified so quickly.
“It was a fairly small fire confined to one area of the wall,” Fire Chief Robert Gowans told The Bridge. “We got a call from both a tenant and someone walking by. When we got here there was smoke.” Gowans said first and second floor tenants could return to their homes Monday night, but the third floor tenant won’t be able to go back for a few days.
“We’re continuing to investigate,” he said.
Fire trucks from Barre City, East Montpelier, Worcester and Northfield were seen at the scene.
The building is owned by Jesse Jacobs. The last structure fire in Montpelier happened on Ewing Street in mid summer, Quinn said.
