Dozens of Firefighters Focused on Fire as Basketball Star Played Strong Defense

As many as 50 firefighters battled a three-alarm fire Saturday night at the home of Michael Carter-Williams, only to find out later than the sophomore guard was helping the Syracuse Orange into the Sweet 16 of the March Madness tournament.

In the end, the fire at 261 Cutler Road ended up generating one of the largest responses to a house fire in Hamilton in several years, according to Hamilton Fire Department Deputy Chief Kirby Brand.

"It's been a while since we've had a three-alarm fire in Hamilton," Brand said.

Nobody was injured in the fire.

Brand said it was not until after the fire that he realized that Carter-Williams was on the court in a Round of 32 matchup with the University of California in San Diego while he was directing teams of firefighters at the fire scene.

Carter-Wiliam's mother and sister were at the game, and returned to Hamilton on Sunday.

The fire started in the chimney and in the end "pretty much destroyed" the attic and caused moderate fire damage to the second floor, Brand said. The home suffered heavy smoke and water damage throughout. At one point, up to 1,400 gallons of water per minute were going onto the fire, Brand said.

The fire was burning so hot that when firefighters first went into the building they could not make it all the way into the third floor. By the end, firefighters had undertaken three separate interior attacks after withdrawing from the building twice and changing over to strictly attacking the fire from outside the home.

Firefighters also abandoned two hoses in the home while fighting the fire because the crew had to retreat so quickly. Those hoses, made of canvas and rubber, were burned up in the fire.

In all, the fire drew firefighters from nine area towns, with two others communities covering the Hamilton station.

In addition to 19 of Hamilton's 28 firefighters battling the blaze, crews came to assist Hamilton from Beverly, Danvers, Essex, Ipswich, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Rowley, Topsfield and Wenham. A fire engine from Middleton and tower truck from Lynn covered the Hamilton station during the fire.

The fire was investigated by the state Fire Marshall's office and determined to have started accidentally in the area of the fireplace. There was a fire in the fireplace just before the house caught fire, Brand said.

"The fire spread up the outside of the chimney," Brand said.