Page 2 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, March 1, 2019 Two-alarm blaze on Bennett Avenue Officials say failure of electrical wiring in attic caused last Saturday night’s house fire By Mark E. Vogler F ire officials say Stephen C. Ruggiero may have gotten an advance warning of the two-alarm fire that broke out in the attic of his home at 41 Bennett Ave. early last Saturday dine drink gather enjoy THE NORTH SHORE'S HOTTEST NIGHTCLUB! IN THE MUSIC HALL Friday, March 1 BRIAN MAES BAND IN THE MUSIC HALL Saturday, March 2 THE JOSHUA TREE U2 Tribute Band night (Feb. 23) and caused an estimated $200,000 in property damage. Ruggiero noticed the kitchen lights were off and that the electrical breaker had tripped. He reset the breaker, but the kitchen lights went out again a few minutes after resetting the breaker, according to Saugus Fire Department officials. After resetting the breaker a second time, Ruggiero smelled and saw the smoke coming from the attic vent. “Don’t reset the circuit breaker more than once,” Saugus Fire Department Capt. James Hughes said in an interview this week. “If it trips off the first time you IN THE MUSIC HALL Friday, March 8 LIVIN' ON A BAD NAME Bon Jovi Tribute IN THE MUSIC HALL Saturday, March 9 LAVISH reset it, call the Fire Department right away,” he said. Saugus Fire Chief Michael C. Newbury and State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey said in a joint press release issued this week that the cause of last Saturday’s fire at 41 Bennett Avenue was electrical. The Saugus Fire Department and State Police assigned to the Office of the State Fire Marshal collaborated on the investigation, assisted by the Saugus electrical inspector. Investigators determined the fire started in the attic above the kitchen and was due to a failure of electrical wiring. Firefighters responded to the Saturday, March 16 WILDFIRE Celebrate St. Paddy's Weekend! fire in the one-family home at about 6 p.m. There were no injuries. But the two residents were displaced. The single-family wood frame ranch home, built about 1950, is valued at $155,300, according to the town Assessor’s Office. The owners are listed as Stephen C. Ruggiero and Cristina Montoya. IN THE MUSIC HALL Friday, March 15 THE DOORS EXPERIENCE Doors Tribute IN THE MUSIC HALL Saturday, March 30 KISS FOREVER Kiss Tribute Band 221 Newbury Street, Danvers For Tickets call (978) 774-7270 or www.breakawaydanvers.com “Circuit breakers tripping in quick succession without a known cause is a sign of trouble,” Newbury said. “It is important to call the fire department whenever you experience one of the warning signs of an electrical fire. We can use our thermal imaging cameras to look for excessive heat inside the walls. I am very proud of the efforts of the Saugus and mutual aid firefighters in containing this fire so quickly.” A COSTLY FIRE: Firefighters work on what’s left of the Saturday night (Feb. 23) two-alarm blaze that broke out in the attic of the single-family ranch house at 41 Bennett Ave. Fire officials estimated damage to the house and contents at $200,000. Investigators identified failed electrical wiring as the cause of the fire. (Courtesy Photo to The Saugus Advocate by Lt. Damian Drella of the Saugus Fire Department). “Excellent save” While damage to the house was estimated at $180,000 and another $20,000 loss for the contents that were ruined in the fire, Deputy Chief Thomas D’Eon, Jr. said the fire could have been far worse if not for the quick response. “It was an excellent save,” D’Eon said. “Just a great job – to look at what they had and figuring out how to deal with it.” Initially, firefighters had poor access to the fire, which hinTWO-ALARM | SEE PAGE 7 AN ELECTRICAL FIRE: Saugus firefighters, assisted by four other area fire departments, battled this blaze that caused heavy damage to a one-family ranch house at 41 Bennett Ave. The state Fire Marshal’s Office, assisted by investigators of the Saugus Fire Department, determined that failure of electrical wiring caused the fire. (Courtesy Photo to The Saugus Advocate by Lt. Damian Drella of the Saugus Fire Department).
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