UPDATE: No Injuries In Building Fire On Glade Street

WOBURN, MA — The Woburn Fire Department responded to a serious fire at 2 Glade St Monday afternoon, Fire Chief Stephen Adgate said Tuesday. The fire was successfully contained but required the use of all the departments available resources: three engine companies and a ladder truck. No one was home at the time and no firefighters were injured, Adgate said.

The fire began early Monday afternoon and lasted about two hours, he said. Mutual aid companies were called in to cover any other emergencies called while the department was fighting the fire. There is not yet a cause determination, said Adgate.

"I will say it appears it started somewhere in the kitchen area and burnt a hole right through the floor into the first-floor first level, said Adgate. "The fire was going on two floors. The firefighters did a fantastic job containing it, keeping it confined to those two floors, and keeping it contained to those areas."

There was significant structural damage to the two-story "oversized ranch-style home," said Adgate, including heavy smoke damage throughout the entire house, a hole in the roof the department had to cut, and another hole they had to cut into floorboards while putting out the fire. The building is salvageable, however.

The cause is under investigation currently, the chief explained. This is done largely to identify common causes, like deficiencies in certain equipment, for a national database. The fire was on the verge of getting much bigger, he added.

"Even though it was confined to one area of the kitchen, it was a significant fire. It was noticed by one of the neighbors. It probably had an opportunity to make some significant headway. This fire was ready to truly take off."

As the chief and one of the engine companies was leaving the scene, they responded, along with two mutual aid companies, to a heating unit on fire on Industrial Parkway, but fortunately it "wasn't that significant," said Adgate.

"Woburn is a very busy city, we're always on the go," said Adgate. "I can't tell you how many calls we've had today. A major portion of our responses are medically connected, roughly 70 percent are medical emergencies, but it still requires the response of members of the Woburn Fire Department. We're a busy department."

Freelance photographer Scott LaPrade tweeted the following video from the scene:

Woburn Ma https://t.co/EzEKcsS59m
— Scott LaPrade (@ScottLaPrade) November 4, 2019