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January 27, 2012

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Pumper truck malfunction contributed to Mass. barn loss

Cause of fire that burned barn to ground remains unknown, as does reason pumper truck malfunctioned, but emergency response time was good

By Debbie LaPlaca
The Telegram & Gazette

DUDLEY, Mass. — The cause of a fire that burned a barn to the ground on Intervale Road remains unknown, as does the reason a pumper truck malfunctioned, but emergency response time was good, Fire Chief Dean C. Kochanowski reported to selectmen Jan. 23.

Guy P. Gregson lit a wood stove in his barn workshop Jan. 6 before leaving for errands. A neighbor's call to report smoke prompted his 7:17 a.m. call to 911.

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Mr. Gregson later said most of the 1.5-story, 42-by-55-foot barn could have been saved if firetrucks hadn't been detoured around a bridge that has been closed for nearly five years and if the first truck to arrive had operated properly.

"The response times were right on, considering how the department operates," Chief Kochanowski said to the board.

The first Dudley truck arrived at 7:31 a.m. and a second arrived at 7:39 a.m. Mutual aid from Southbridge, Quinebaug and North Grosvenor Dale arrived moments later.

"The first truck was on scene within 14 minutes of the call. I think that's more than acceptable, considering the bridge is still out," the chief said.

The bridge over the Quinebaug River on West Dudley Road failed a state safety inspection and was closed to all traffic in spring 2007, thereby blocking access to Intervale Road from Route 131.

The response time would have been a few minutes quicker if the bridge had been open, the chief said.

When the first Dudley truck arrived, firefighters tried to draw water from a pond across the street, but the pumper truck malfunctioned. When the second truck arrived, the roof was engulfed in flames.

The chief said it was unfortunate that the barn was lost, but "the pump failure was almost a blessing in disguise" because it forestalled the possibility of firefighters being in the building when the roof collapsed.

The chief said the truck, purchased in 2006, is the newest in the fleet. It passed a full equipment test three days before the fire. Since the malfunction, the pumper has been tested by the dealer, who was unable to recreate the problem.

"The pump failure was just a freak thing that happened," he said.

No one was hurt in the fire.