By Layla Kalinen EAGLE TIMES STAFF
CHESTER, Vt. — On February 28th at 9:43 a.m., the iconic former Addams Funeral Home on the south end of Depot Street caught fire. This prompted over 100 emergency responders from 10 different neighboring towns to rush to the site.
On 35 Depot Street, local mutual responders rallied for five hours, while law enforcement and the highway department worked to redirect nearby traffic to Church Street and the Green Mountain Turnpike.
Chester Fire Chief Mattew Wilson, Chester Police Department Chief Williams, and Officer Michael Randzio were in a meeting with Chester Town Manager Julie Hance when they received the fire alert from an emergency 911 call at 9:39 a.m.
Minutes after departing they arrived on scene, less than half a mile from the town office. The building was already in flames.
Upon arrival, Chief Wilson decided to call the fire a two-alarm emergency, and contacted local dispatch.
Chief Williams of the Springfield Fire Department said, “As soon as we could turn the corner, we could see the pillar of fire. Between Police, Fire and EMS, everyone worked together. It’s almost like they weren’t from different departments.”
According to Chief Williams, the owner of the building was alerted by a friend who observed smoke rising from the structure.
“He looked out of his window from his home on the corner of Depot and Maple Street [and] was alerted by a nearby friend. In his view from his home window less than 100 feet away [he] could see smoke rising from the structure,” Williams reported.
According to Fire Chief Wilson, the fire appeared to have started in the far back left of the house. The most challenging issue was that the slate roof collapsed, which insulated the fire and kept it from being directly extinguished. This prevented responders from entering the building.
“We couldn’t access the interior of the building until an excavator arrived to go in a drag the slate off the first floor, because it was too heavy and the slate was holding the fire underneath, and that was the hardest part of trying to extinguish the fire,” Wilson explained.
According to Wilson, the cause of the fire is still under investigation. There were no injuries or fatalities and no occupants at the time.
Officer Randzio, an EMS responder and the town Public Safety Officer, said it was a difficult challenge that was turned around by local emergency services who responded with two ladder trucks and additional support.
“We all arrived here [Wilson, Williams and Randzio] leaving the meeting and I helped clear the area and connect to the area hydrants,” he said.
Wilson said the brightest spot in the situation was local support from nearby citizens and the local pub directly in view of the fire from across the main intersection.
“It went smooth considering the situation. Smitty’s Market donated coffee and sandwich material, which our auxiliary used to feed everyone. MacLaomainn’s offered support making sandwiches, baked cookies and opened their doors to responders to use the bathrooms and facilities,” Wilson said.
Responders from Springfield, Proctorsville, Bellows Falls, Rockingham, Grafton, Windsor, West Weathersfield, Walpole and Rockingham all arrived on the scene. Weston, Reading and Ascutney assisted in the Chester Fire Department headquarters.
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