Wilmington Fire Causes 'Significant Damage' To Barn Converted To Home

WILMINGTON, MA — Fire officials continue to investigate the cause of a Sunday night fire in a Wilmington detached barn that had been converted to a residential, office and storage space, the Wilmington Fire Department said.

According to officials, the fire took place on Lowell Street and was called in by a resident at approximately 10:30 p.m.

Wilmington Fire Chief William Cavanaugh told Patch that his department was assisted by departments from Stoneham, Woburn, North Reading and Tewksbury at the scene.

Cavanaugh said it took crews between 1 hour, 15 minutes and 1 hour, 20 minutes to get the fire under control, and that crews continued to check for hot spots until 1 a.m. Investigators remained at the scene until 2:30 a.m.

The chief said there were no injuries reported to civilians or firefighters.

"There was significant damage (to the barn), but it's not a total loss. But there is a significant loss of personal property, not just from the fire, but from smoke and water damage," Cavanaugh said.

Cavanaugh said the cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Wilmington Fire Department Arson Investigation Unit and the State Fire Marshal's office.

According to Cavanaugh, the first crews at the scene attempted main interior entry of the barn in order to locate the seat of the fire. But they struggled due to the growing flames, a large amount of debris and a tight stairwell.

Cavanaugh said the fire extended from the basement, through the ground floor and into the second-floor back corner of the barn.

Eventually, ventilation holes were created on the roof, letting the fire rest and giving firefighters a better ability to attack the fire with larger lines, the chief said.

In addition to other local fire departments providing assistance at the scene, departments from Andover and Burlington covered the Wilmington station. Paramedics, state police and cleanup crews also were at the scene.

Cavanaugh praised Wilmington Public Safety Dispatch for coordinating the entire effort — taking the 911 call, sounding additional alarms and alerting state fire authorities and emergency personnel. Dispatch does all of those things while continuing to take unrelated calls for police and medical help, Cavanaugh said.

"They did a phenomenal job," Cavanaugh said of dispatch. "They really are kind of the glue that holds the whole program together."