Wenham Fire Started in Kitchen, Nobody Injured

A fire that damaged a Wenham home on Thursday morning started in the home’s kitchen, according to Fire Chief Bob Blanchard.

It remains undetermined exactly how the fire started, but it is not considered suspicious, he said.

Nobody was hurt.

The fire at 92 Main St. was discovered at about 8:40 a.m. when the male homeowner returned home and discovered the smoke detectors going off and the home filled with smoke. He called the Fire Department.

“There was heavy smoke and fire in the kitchen,” Blanchard said when firefighters first arrived.

It was unknown how long the fire may have been burning before it was discovered, Blanchard said.

“We had it under control pretty quickly,” he said.

It took firefighters about a half hour to bring the fire under control. In addition to about a dozen firefighters, an engine company from the Hamilton Fire Department assisted at the fire.

The ranch-style home sits along the access driveway to Wenham Country Club. The course is closed for the winter and not affected by the fire.

The home suffered structural damage in the kitchen and smoke damage throughout the home, Blanchard said, but is not a total loss but was uninhabitable after the fire. The fire was contained to the kitchen and the attic above the kitchen.

Route 1A near the fire had to be closed for about an hour because a supply hose running from a hydrant to the fire went across the road. Wenham police turned around northbound traffic at Canaan Farms and southbound traffic was sent down Cherry Street.