Home»Fire Incidents»2009 Incidents»4th Alarm Woonsocket, RI 163 Gaulin Ave December 25, 2009

Woonsocket, RI – A first alarm assignment was dispatched to the area of Elm Street and Gaulin Ave around 1830hrs on December 25, 2009. The on duty deputy reported he could see it as he left headquarters, which was a little over a mile away. The structure was a vacant story balloon frame 75x75 6 family apartment building. First in Engine 2 tried to make a quick attack on the fire from the driveway on the Elm Street side. There was heavy fire and smoke pushing from all floors on side 3 as they stretched in. A second alarm was struck bringing the rest of the city’s companies to the scene. The OIC ordered all companies out of the structure due to the fire making its way through the flat top roof. Tower 2 set up on the side 2-3 corner to make the roof to open up and to protect the exposures if needed. Engine 4 placed their apparatus on Elm Street side to feed several big lines in the rear. Ladder 1 set up on side 1-4 to protect the close exposure on side 4. Engine 1 laid into Ladder 1 for water supply from the Gaulin Ave side. Engine 3 pulled down Gaulin Ave from Elm Street to protect the exposure side 1-2 corner which was another very large vacant complex. This vacant exposure dwelling has been the several small fires in the past. Command requested a 3rd and 4th alarm to be sounded bringing a Blackstone, MA Engine 56 and Ladder 1, Lincoln Engine 10, North Smithfield Ladder 2 and Cumberland Engine 41 to work the scene while several other out of town companies back filled the empty firehouses. Blackstone’s trucks set up in a parking lot and threw their stick over the exposure on side 4 to knock down the heavy overlapping fire threatening that building. A total of 1 tower ladder, 2 ladder pipes, portable deck guns, and several hand lines knocked this fire down in about two hours. The RI State Fire Marshal’s office was on scene quickly into the fire to help with cause and origin. There were no injuries reported to any of the firefighters during this blaze