A two-alarm house fire at 138 West Shore Drive on Wednesday sent a Marblehead firefighter to the hospital with minor injuries, filled the neighborhood with smoke and shut down part of the busy road to traffic.
Chief Jason Gilliland tells the Current that the fire was started accidentally in the basement by a heat gun being used to remove varnish from a railing.
“The crews did an excellent job,” Gilliland said. “They held the fire to the basement.”
The man who lives at 138 West Shore Drive, Kenny Rodgers, runs KSRodgers Marine Services. He said flames broke out first and then the house filled with smoke.
According to the MFD Facebook page, “Crews were met with challenging conditions in the basement and had difficulty accessing the seat of the fire. Crews evacuated the building and a second alarm was ordered bringing Salem Tower Ladder 2, Swampscott Engine 21 and Ladder 21 to the scene. After making progress on the fire through a basement window, crews were able to re-enter the basement and extinguish the fire with smoke damage to the rest of the home.”
