Response to Weekend Fire Appropriate, Challenging

investigators are continuing to look into the cause of a Saturday evening fire that destroyed an unoccupied home under renovation on Dudley Road.

Wayland Fire Chief Bob Loomer said he anticipates the investigation to conclude in the next 48 hours, but the fire “does not appear to be suspicious at this time.”

At 7:24 p.m. on Dec. 3, Wayland 911 dispatch began receiving calls reporting a fire at 123 Dudley Road. Loomer said several of the calls came from across Dudley Pond, as the home sits on the shore of the pond.

Two fire engines responded within three minutes, Loomer said, but quickly issued a second alarm for additional coverage. At that point, the Natick Fire Department responded with an engine and an additional three firefighters while Sudbury and Weston fire departments covered Wayland’s two fire stations. In addition, the second alarm served as a call to Wayland’s off-duty firefighters to return to work.

“It’s a time-tested plan,” Loomer said, explaining that the system is used by fire departments throughout the area. In this case, the Wayland fire occurred in a location closest to the Natick Fire Department, so that department responded to the scene, Loomer said. Had it occurred elsewhere in town, the nearest department would have responded, while other neighboring departments provided coverage at Wayland’s two stations in case a concurrent emergency occurred.

Loomer said the location of the home provided a “fair share of logistical challenges” to the firefighters battling the blaze. Many of the homes along Dudley Pond, Loomer said, are “basically cottages constructed during the horse and buggy era,” and are accessed via narrow roadways that have been in place for more than a century.

In addition, the road runs above the home, which sits down a steep slope on the shore of Dudley Pond. Without a driveway down to the house, firefighters had access only via stairs.

Loomer also said that the homes relatively isolated location meant the fire had a chance to burn for some time before anyone reported the blaze. And, because the home was under renovation, materials, such as Sheetrock, that typically slow a fire from spreading, were not yet in place.

“Another significant factor is it being under renovation,” Loomer said. “If it’s just lumber when the fire starts, than the fire burns very quick and hot.”

A cost estimate for the damage is not yet available, but Loomer said the home is a total loss.

“I think the fire was handled appropriately,” Loomer said. “The firefighters did what they could do safely. Unfortunately, the building was under renovation and the notification was late.”