Several residents displaced, 1 hospitalized by 2 Brockton fires amid frigid temperatures

BROCKTON – Several residents were displaced and one person was injured in two fires that broke out amid frigid temperatures in the city on Saturday, fire officials said.

The larger fire occurred late Saturday evening at 41 Glenwood St.

Eight city engine companies and three ladders responded to the three-alarm fire, with mutual aid including Stoughton, Whitman, Avon, East, and West Bridgewater.

Residents were seen exiting the multi-family building as crews arrived at 41 Glenwood St.

No residents were injured, but a firefighter fell through the second floor and was sent to the hospital but has since been discharged, said Brockton Deputy Fire Chief Scott Albanese.

Six residents are now displaced, and the home is damaged beyond repair, he said.

Cold temperatures made a significant impact on firefighters' ability to put out the fire, Albanese said.

Several firefighters reported injuries including strained and pulled muscles during the fire, he said.

"We were fortunate in those conditions we didn't have more serious injuries," Albanese said.

"With cold temperatures, it makes everything go a little slower and harder water supply – water freezers in those conditions, it's very labor-intensive," Albanese said. "We had to get more personnel to the scene because of the weather conditions alone."

Many buildings in Brockton have a balloon-frame structure that allows fire to travel between the crevasses of the buildings easily, which makes it harder to put out the fire and was the case on Glenwood Street, Albanese said.

"Multiple crews there went through multiple air bottles," Albanese said. "The amount of staffing was critical."

The deputy fire chief said there was an initial report of a missing occupant, but crews searched and didn't find anyone and later determined the person left the building before they arrived.

The first fire on Saturday occurred at 41 Stillman Ave. and hospitalized one resident.

The crew performed CPR on the woman and brought her pulse back, Albanese said. Fire officials suspect she suffered smoke inhalation, but may have also had other injuries, he said.

It took firefighters about 15 minutes to extinguish the fire, which he said was relatively minor, Albanese said.

The woman was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston for treatment, but her condition wasn't immediately known Sunday.

Albanese said it wasn't clear how many residents would be displaced on Stillman Avenue, but the building is repairable.

The causes of both fires are still under investigation.

Enterprise staff reporter Alisha Saint-Ciel can be reached by email at stciela@gannett.com You can follow her on Twitter at @alishaspeakss. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Enterprise today.

This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Brockton firefighters battle 2 fires amid frigid cold