Walpole home catches fire twice in 24 hours

WALPOLE, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com) -- Fire officials responded to a two-alarm fire at a Walpole home on Saturday morning, for the second time this week.

Cell phone video shows the Flamingo Circle residence consumed by flames. Jen Dunn, who lives on the street, was the one who recorded it all.

"And then the whole house was just engulfed," she said. "I've never seen anything like it. It was outrageous and scary!"

Some who live in the neighborhood are shocked.

"They put the fire out yesterday. It was boarded up. And again today, early this morning it raged," Charles Dunn said.

The fire was so intense that it left only a burned shell of a home. On Friday, as firefighters tapped a nearby hydrant, the water main below broke, causing water to flood the home and the road beneath it to buckle. FOX25 was the only station on the scene when firefighters evacuated neighbors.

Water was an issue again Saturday and firefighters had to dig out hydrants, which quickly froze. They ended up bringing a water truck once more to help douse the flames. The frigid temperatures, only in the single digits, left the house and and firefighters covered in ice. And the wind kept the neighbors on edge, hoping their homes would be safe from the flames.

Walpole Fire Chief Timothy Bailey said, “It was actually wind driven and went down to the other end of the house.”

No one was in the home because of the damage but Ali Husain, a neighbor in an adjacent townhouse, played it safe and decided to stay with his wife and two sons in a local hotel.

Saturday, he told FOX25 he's glad he did.

"I think gut instinct goes a long way in life and when you feel something isn't right you need to take and action in this case we made the right decision," Husain said.

No injuries were reported at either incident, but fire officials say the house will have to be demolished due to the damage. They are investigating a cause and believe it does not appear to be suspicious.

Cox Media Group