Fire at 9 Hoyle Street

Companies responded to the reported structure fire at 9 Hoyle Street with the department operating at our minimum daily staffing of 14 firefighters. As the alarm was dispatched, both ALS ambulances were already committed at the hospital with patients, reducing the initial response to just 10 firefighters.

First-arriving companies encountered heavy fire showing from the front of the building and reports of occupants trapped on the second floor. Engine 5 deployed the initial attack line and began fire suppression operations. With just two firefighters, Ladder 1 conducted primary searches of all three floors while Engine 4’s two-person crew secured a water supply to support the fire attack.

“The recent approval of Norwood’s public safety staffing override couldn’t have come at a better time,” Norwood Firefighters Local 1631 stated on its Facebook page. “We are eager to begin hiring the next generation of Norwood firefighters, increasing our on-duty staffing and ensuring that when the next call like this comes in, more firefighters are on scene from on the initial response. Thank you to our mutual aid partners for their assistance, and thank you to the residents of Norwood for your continued support of your Fire Department. Your investment in public safety will make a difference on days exactly like this.”