Fire Displaces Tiverton Family After Neighbor Alerts Them

A family is displaced after a structure fire started at their 32 Pine Tree Lane home in Tiverton early Monday due to misplacement of dry mulch. No one was injured.

Chief Robert Lloyd said the call came in around 5 a.m. from a neighbor heading to work when she noticed a fire starting in the garage section of the home. She told emergency crews she banged on the door to alert the family: two adults and two children.

"We're very lucky," Lloyd said.

Crews arrived and were able to cut the fire off and stop it from progressing to the rest of the home, he said. The bulk of the blaze was contained to the attic space of the eastern section of the garage. The roof, chimney and siding received heat and fire damage and Lloyd estimated it to $125,000 to $150,000 worth. Power to the house had to the be cut off.

The investigation revealed the fire started from the misplacement of the wood ashes, or mulch, on that side of the garage. Lloyd cited the cause to the dry and windy conditions in the area with little rain in recent weeks. The National Weather Service has a Red Flag Warning in effect Monday due to the critical fire conditions in the region.

A ladder truck and special services engine from the Fall River Fire Department assisted in knocking down Monday morning's fire in the north end.

Lloyd added that Red Cross is helping the family.