Structure Fire in Wildewood
 
By Bay District Volunteers
January 19, 2024
 

At 11:02 hours, the Bay District stations 9, 3 and surrounding departments responded to a house fire incident in the 43700 block of Sweetbay Street. Engine 91, Engine 31 and Squad 3 responded, along with Chief 3 (Gould) and Safety 3 (Warren).

Upon arrival, Chief 7B found a 2-story, single-family home with smoke emanating from the front door. The initial report suggested a possible fire in the basement, prompting a swift and coordinated response from the emergency personnel.

Engine 72 laid a supply line from the hydrant and stretched a 200' attack line to the basement entrance on Side C, Engine 91 arrived and secured the hydrant. Simultaneously, Truck 7 positioned itself on side A of the structure and joined Engine 72 in the basement. The crews discovered a fire in a utility room, which was being contained by a residential fire sprinkler.

Engine 72 extinguished the remaining fire, while Truck 7 assisted in opening and searching for the water shut-off. Once the water was secured, it was determined that there was no extension of the fire, and thankfully, no injuries were reported. Chief 7B scaled down the assignment to Engine 7, Engine 9, Truck 7, and Truck 13 to complete overhaul and ventilation.

The entire operation lasted approximately 45 minutes before the units returned to their quarters. Preliminary investigations suggest that the fire was caused by a Lithium-Ion battery that was in the process of charging.