| GLOUCESTER — Chief Eric Smith reports that the Gloucester Fire Department responded to a fire at a residence on Granite Street early this morning. |
| At approximately 12:12 a.m. on Friday, July 17, the Gloucester Fire Department responded to a report of a fire at a residence at 4 Granite Street. All three occupants evacuated the residence before firefighters arrived on scene. They were alerted to the fire by neighbors who began shouting after noticing a fire on the deck. |
| Upon arrival, first responders were informed there was an active fire on a deck that wrapped around a portion of the building. |
| Firefighters quickly knocked down the main body of fire on the exterior before advancing into a side door, where the fire had begun to extend into the structure after burning through a side-entry door. |
| No injuries were reported by the occupants or firefighters on scene. However, one member of the Gloucester Fire Department became briefly trapped when he fell through a section of decking while making entry to search the building. He was not injured, extricated himself from where he fell and completed the search. |
| A pet chinchilla of the occupants was also rescued and returned to them. |
| An on-scene investigation by the Gloucester Fire Department found the fire started directly below a steel fire pit where an area of decking had burned through. Contents under the deck, including a snowblower and plastic items, are believed to have fueled the fire. |
| The cause of the fire was determined to be accidental. The home is temporarily uninhabitable, and the occupants declined assistance from the Red Cross and are being assisted by friends. |
| “Fortunately, no one was seriously injured by this fire, and the occupants were able to get out of the building before we arrived on scene,” Chief Smith said. “A job well done to the firefighters who responded swiftly to this call and quickly knocked this fire down with first arriving companies.” |
| By 2:31 a.m., firefighters had cleared the scene. |
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