Fire Department Responds To Nate & Kathi Muehl 's For Shed Fire

[Henry]

Fairfax Fire responded to a shed fire at Nate & Kathi Muehl's place (The Old Ralph & Ruth Ellsworth Place) for a shed fire yesterday afternoon.  I went up by later in the afternoon and the fire was out and it looked like a shed in back of the house had partially burned.

[HayesFXFD17]

A moderately sized 15' x 40' shed that fell victim to the factors of radiant heat and light winds from a controlled burn pile about 50' from the structure.  We did call for assistance from Westford and Cambridge fire immediately not knowing if it was the house or one of the out buildings on our initial call.  Luckily we were able to have a quick knock down and able to cancel mutual aid departments as there were no exposures close to the shed we were concerned about. 

Please keep in mind that even the most seaminly innocent contolled burn pile in the back yard even at the minimum suggested distance of 50' can lead to a perhaps a devastating misshap.  Make sure if you are burning either a grassy area or even just a "campfire" type fire that you have a garden hose available to be used in a minutes notice.  Luckily no one was hurt or the home was not damaged by yesterdays fire but it is a prime example of just how quickly a small innocent fire can get out of controll.

Have a safe day!

Justin Hayes
Deputy Chief
Fairfax Fire Department

[Henry]

According to a family member, two motorcycles and a car were taken out of the shed, however, several aircondioners, tires and rims and some antiques taken from the Ellsworth House for other family members who had not picked them up yet were destroyed in the fire.  A quick shift in the wind was all it took to get the old dry building going.