Stoneham House Fire Injures 1

STONEHAM, MA — Firefighters battled a house fire at one of the Stoneham Housing Authority’s duplex buildings on Washington Ave. Wednesday night. A woman suffered burns to her hand and was treated on scene, and no other injuries were reported.

The fire department responded to 16-18 Washington St. around 6 p.m. to find heavy black smoke from unit 18 and fire in the first-floor bedroom. Three residents - including the woman who burned her hand - were outside when firefighters arrives.

Firefighters made an aggressive attack to contain the fire to the first-floor bedroom. The first floor of the unit was deemed uninhabitable. The Red Cross assisted residents.

The fire department had extra hands on deck because several members were meeting at the station when the call came in.

"The extra help made a huge difference in firefighters’ ability to quickly and effectively put out this fire, Chief Matthew Grafton said. "Crews were able to extend additional hose lines, immediately begin ventilating the building and search for pets. Had we not had 14 firefighters responding, this fire would have escalated to a second alarm. I would like to thank the firefighters for their additional assistance and all for their hard work."

Fire investigators are looking into the cause of the fire.

Stoneham Fire photos