Resident uses mop water to extinguish porch fire in Greenfield

GREENFIELD — A resident of the sober house at 107 Conway St. used a bucket of mop water to extinguish a porch fire caused by a lit cigarette shortly before noon on Thursday.

House manager Derek Duguay explained the cigarette accidentally fell over the porch railing on a dry plant, which ignited, and the fire spread to the porch lattice. A resident then poured a bucket of water onto the fire.

“A lot of people wouldn’t think of that,” Duguay said.

He said 911 was called once the fire was reduced to a smolder. Firefighters cut away a couple of boards to ensure the fire was eliminated.

“We had it out before (the Greenfield Fire Department) even got here, because it only took one bucket of water. But we called them anyway,” Duguay noted.

Fire Chief Robert Strahan reported the fire was minor. The Greenfield Fire and Police departments cleared the scene at noon.

“They did a good job, we did a good job,” Duguay said. “Everybody did the right thing.”

More information about the sober house, which is run by Vanderburgh House, can be found at bit.ly/3tKRavG.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 262.