ORANGE — A house at 236 Packard Road became engulfed in flames on Tuesday night, drawing neighbors out of their homes to watch as firefighters from at least 10 communities, including Orange, responded to fight the blaze.
According to Fire Chief Tim Matthews, the Orange Fire Department received the call about the fire at 9:37 p.m. Once at the house, Matthews said he watched Orange police officers help a resident exit the building. The resident was taken to Athol Hospital due to smoke inhalation, Matthews said. He saw no signs of burns.
“Moments later,” Matthews said, “the house was in flames.”
While the rest of the residents safely left the house in time, at around 11:15 p.m., Matthews believed a dog had died in the home.
The two-alarm fire burned for more than an hour. In addition to Orange, firefighters from Athol, Phillipston, Warwick, Wendell, Shutesbury, Erving, Greenfield, New Salem and Gardner provided assistance. An ambulance came from Athol.
With the fire destroying the roof and a large portion of the front exterior of the house, Matthews said, “I would call it a complete loss.”
The cause for the fire is under investigation. Neighbors congregating across the road from the fire recalled hearing an explosion before rushing outside to see what had occurred.
