New Bedford Firefighters Tackle Three Fires Overnight
NEW BEDFORD — It was a busy night for the city's fire department, as New Bedford fire crews were called out to three separate fires in the city last night.
This after another fire in a multi-family home on Tuesday morning displaced 13 people.
Department spokesperson and Acting Deputy Steve Medeiros said no injuries were reported in the fires.
The first blaze took place at National Lumber on Welby Road, where an electric forklift battery pack caught fire.
Crews disconnected the unit from its charging station and extinguished the flames with a small amount of water.
They then dragged the forklift out of the building with the city's Engine 9 and let the battery pack cool.
Medeiros said fire crews were on scene for around two hours.
Just before 1 a.m. this morning, another fire broke out on a second floor porch at 88 Princeton St.
The flames extended into the apartment and the gable end attic area, Medeiros said.
Firefighters first attacked the blaze with a deck gun, or an aimable high-capacity water jet from the top of a fire engine, to stop the fire's spread.
They then cut open the gable end of the attic and put out the flames inside the apartment.
It is unclear if the family has been displaced.
Crews left the scene at around 3 a.m.
Then at around 5 a.m. Thursday, a third fire was reported at ABC Disposal Service at 1245 Shawmut Ave.
According to Medeiros, a large grinding machine caught on fire at the recycling plant.
Fire crews put out flames in hoppers and conveyor belt areas, with on-site staffers partially dismantling the machine to finish putting out the fire.
The firefighters were on the scene for a little over an hour, Medeiros said.