ERVING – Firefighters saved an Erving house from burning after the flames destroyed a shed and pool house on the property Thursday morning.
No one was injured in the blaze at 65 Northfield Road, though the vinyl siding of the residence had been partially melted by the heat. Erving Fire Capt. Mitchell LaClaire Sr. said seven departments responded, and water was being pumped from a hydrant near Erving Elementary School down the road.
LaClaire said he was at the fire station with a crew member when the call came in about 10:45, and they were the first on the scene. He said the shed and pool house were engulfed in flames when they arrived on a fire truck with 1,000 gallons of water.
“I said, ‘Hit the house. Write the shed off,’” LaClaire said. “And he did.”
The captain said the side of the single-family house was smoking when he arrived and cooling the siding with water prevented any further damage. He said a longer response time likely would have allowed the fire to enter the residence.
Neighbor Peter Wills, who lives with his girlfriend across the street, said he came out of his garage and heard a pop sound before looking up and seeing smoke billowing from the structures. He said he called 911 on his cell phone while sprinting up the winding driveway to alert his neighbors. He said he got to the door and screamed for a minute or two before someone heard him.
The structures, separated from the residence by an in-ground swimming pool, were destroyed by noon. Their charred remains still stood as firefighters blasted water to extinguish any stubborn flames. LaClaire said the flames at one point reached 60 feet into the air and singed branches were visible on trees hovering over the structures.
Jeannette Washington said her mother, Denise Maynard, lives in the house with her son and two dogs. She expressed her gratitude to the fire departments.
“They did a great job,” she said. “It was just a shed. It can all be replaced.”
Washington, who lives in Greenfield, said her mother has lived in the house for roughly 30 years.
Mills said Maynard “has always been a great neighbor … She’s just good people.”
LaClaire said the Orange Fire Department covered the Erving station and Hinsdale, N.H., provided coverage in Northfield.
You can reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 257. On Twitter, follow @DomenicPoli