Stoughton Fire Department Responds to Fires During Tropical Storm Irene

Irene kept the Stoughton Fire Department busy on Sunday, responding to more than 100 calls over the course of the storm, according to Captain Jim Bertram.

Two of the more noteworthy calls included an electrical fire Sunday morning and a small apartment fire Sunday evening.

The responded to an electrical fire on Washington St./Route 138 shortly after 11 a.m. on Sunday, as was starting to pick up in intensity.

Acting Fire Chief Mark Dolloff said crews responded to 1375 Washington St., approximately across the street from Huggard and Ewing, after a primary electrical wire came down and set on fire.

The wire went down, was still live, and was so hot it melted the ground and hit an underground gas line, causing the gas to ignite, Dolloff said.

Fortunately, the incident didn't result in any injuries. Dolloff said the gas company was able to isolate the situation, so there wasn't any further damage.

There didn't appear to be any structural damage to any of the nearby buildings. However, a tree which had fallen on part of the road, not too far from the electrical fire, created an obstacle for motorists Sunday afternoon.

Fire Crews arrived at the scene of the electrical fire at 11:03 a.m. and cleared the scene at 12:09 p.m.

Later at 8:47 p.m., the SFD responded to a small fire in a six-story apartment building at 27 Page Terrace (apartment 602).

"The fire was contained to one room and was caused by a power surge in an overloaded outlet as the power was restored to the area," Bertram wrote in an email.

"About 70 residents were evacuated and they were allowed to reoccupy approximately one hour later. There were no injuries," he added.