Firefighters responded Sunday evening to a fire that spread among three homes on East Avenue in Spencer, Massachusetts.
NewsCenter 5 video shows large flames and fireworks exploding as firefighters battle the intense blaze.
According to the Spencer Fire Department, three houses were burned by the fire.
The Spencer fire chief said the initial house that caught fire is a total loss and there is practically nothing left of it, as the entire structure is pretty much gone.
Propane tanks and fireworks were inside the basement of that house, the fire chief said, and they were exploding as they were fighting the fire.
“Very quickly this home had collapsed upon itself,” said Spencer Fire Chief Robert Parsons. “This was an old home. It had a fire here about 30 years ago so there was an old section and a new section to the home. We believe it started in the old section.”
The fire chief said the house next door is also likely a total loss, as the fire went through the roof. Firefighters are still assessing the damage, but it is likely a total loss.
There is a third house that was also damaged, but the fire chief said it is not a total loss. However, the siding on the home’s exterior melted.
“I got a phone call from my neighbor saying that my neighbor’s house was on fire and that my house was going up in flames as well,” said Justin Pack.
“There was nothing left to the first house,” said Nathaniel Peck. “To the original house on fire there was nothing left. I walked down there and there was a porch and that was it. Other than that, I mean, we lost our two sheds, snowmobiles, dirt bikes and everything else within half the house. It’s pretty deep.”
The fire chief said part of the challenge of fighting the fire was that, in addition to the explosions, there are no fire hydrants on the street and very few hydrants in all of the town of Spencer.
As a result, firefighters had to bring in tanker trucks to provide water, which was very difficult with the narrow roads, as they struggled to get the apparatus to the scene.
Additionally, the fire chief said two firefighters fell through the ice of an adjacent pond while they were trying to draft water from it.
The firefighters who fell into the pond were OK and went back and changed into dry clothes.
National Grid said it received a call from the Spencer Fire Department regarding a fire on East Avenue. But by the time National Grid arrived, the fuse had already blown and the fire had melted the casings, resulting in a loss of power in the area.
Crews are now working to attempt to reconnect power once firefighters say the fire is out and it is safe to do so.
Massachusetts State Police investigators assigned to the state fire marshal’s office said they are heading to the scene to local officials with an investigation into the cause of the fire once the flames are extinguished.
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