WEST SPRINGFIELD, MA - An early afternoon fire in an occupied one and half story Sears Bungalow type dwelling sent an impressive column of smoke hundreds of feet in the air above the Memorial section of town and injured a wife and her husband before fire crews brought the fire under control.

911 calls began coming in for 98 Allston Avenue just before 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 19th, reporting a structure fire. Responding companies pulled into the scene to find an occupied one and a half story dwelling fully involved. Due to several medical calls coming in just before the fire, the first due engine, Engine 1 out of headquarters, was out of service and the departments tower ladder arrived with only two members aboard to initiate fire attack.

Fortunately, Engine company 2 arrived quickly and positioned their apparatus for an initial defensive attack in which they opened their deck gun on the fire and knocked down a significant volume of fire with their on board tank water. This maneuver likely saved the Bravo side exposure building whose siding was melting off due to radiant heat and was moments away from igniting.

Once Engine 2's tank water was depleted, Ladder 1's fifteen hundred gallon per minute pump was used as the attack pump while a water supply was established. Crews then made short work of the remaining fire and the fire was under control within 30 minutes of the arrival of the balance of the second alarm assignment.

Both occupants were transported from the scene with significant injuries. Sadly, four days after the fire, the wife succumbed to her injuries in the burn unit, making this the first fatal fire in West Springfield in 2025. The husband remains in critical condition in the ICU as of the writing of this article. Several pets also perished in the fire.