Wenham House Fire was 'Minutes Away from Being a Major Issue'

A bedroom fire was knocked down by on Friday night before it extended to any more of the home.

Nobody was hurt.

The occupant at 20 Main St. called 911 at 8:57 on Feb. 18 to report the fire.

The person, who was alone in the ranch style home, smelled smoke and went to investigate, according to Wenham Fire Chief Bob Blanchard. They discovered a fire along the wall of a bedroom and tried to douse it with water before safely exiting the home.

Damage was confined to the bedroom, Blanchard said.

“The potential was there for a pretty serious fire,” Blanchard said.

Blanchard said the fire began when combustibles next to an electric baseboard caught fire. The combustible material that started the fire was badly charred but Blanchard said it appeared to be a comforter or blanket.

“It went right up the wall and caught the curtains on fire,” Blanchard said. “It was minutes away from being a major issue.”

Blanchard said he didn’t have an estimate for cost to repair the damage to the home, which is assessed at about $420,000.

A Beverly fire truck, which was called initially because the home is so close to the Beverly line, also assisted Wenham firefighters at the fire. Firefighters were tied up for about an hour at the home and all the equipment was back in service within two hours, Blanchard said.