STONEHAM, Mass. — The Stoneham Fire Department and the Department of Public Works responded to a dozen fire alarms that simultaneously went off due to the overpressurization of water lines.
Reports came in around 11:20 A.M., Stoneham Police and Fire dispatch received dozens of automated fire alarms from multiple Stoneham public schools, including: Stoneham High School, Stoneham Central Middle School, the Robin Hood School, and also several commercial and residential properties in town.
With mutual assistance from Reading, Wakefield, and Melrose firefighters, crews were able to respond to the locations, prioritizing the schools first.
After 25 minutes of continuous alarms, crews realized that they had been set off by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) as they overpressurized water lines in town to flush them out. Because of the overpressurization, a small water main break occurred on Spring Street.
Fire Chief Matthew Grafton praised the response from the first responders, saying they handled it “terrifically”.
“Dispatchers kept close track of addresses as they came in, and worked closely with the Fire Department and mutual aid departments to communicate what was happening during the response. Fire Department officials communicated with school officials, Public Works, and the Facilities Department to determine the cause of this. Everyone involved did a really good job handling this situation, which was overwhelming at first. Fortunately, there were no actual fires or serious damage that occurred from this that we’re aware of.”
— Fire Chief Matthew Grafton
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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