Nearly 30 people were displaced from their Burlington homes this week after three fires struck different addresses in short succession.
The first blaze broke out early Sunday morning at 32 Grove Street, injuring one person and displacing 15 people. One of the residents told WCAX-TV that the fire started when a lit candle fell off his windowsill, but investigators haven’t officially confirmed the cause.
Two blazes broke out on Monday, the first around 3 p.m. at 178 North Champlain Street in the Old North End. Crews arrived to find heavy fire coming from the building’s first floor windows, which had started to melt the siding on the building next door. Five college students were displaced to other housing provided by their landlords and the American Red Cross, Burlington Fire Marshal Matthew Stone said.
Less than five hours later, crews were called to another fire at 230 Pine Street in the city’s South End. The blaze, which produced heavy smoke, was primarily on the second floor but was spreading to the roof, a press release said. Eight people were displaced as a result.
The fires on Pine and North Champlain streets were particularly difficult to fight. Both homes contained spray foam insulation, which adheres to plywood and makes a blaze harder to extinguish, Burlington Fire Chief Michael Curtin said.
“It’s that very sticky material,” he said. “It burns and smolders, and it’s a very labor intensive fire.”
The causes of both blazes remain under investigation.
Curtin reminded residents to test their smoke detectors and to practice escape routes in case of fires. He also noted that closing a bedroom door at night can stop flames from spreading, as was the case on North Champlain Street. A bedroom that remained shut was effectively spared from any damage, he said.
“The outside was black and soot-covered, and when you opened the door to the bedroom, it was like nothing ever happened,” Curtin said. “Fire and smoke travel that path of least resistance. If there’s no door closed, it goes wherever it wants to.”
