Mass. waterfront property is ‘total loss’ after fire

A waterfront property in Gloucester is a “total loss” after a fire on Saturday.

At about 2:20 p.m., the Gloucester Fire Department was called to a two-story home at 62 Woodward Ave., where there was already heavy fire and smoke. Firefighters took a defensive approach with the hopes that the fire wouldn’t spread to neighboring houses and extinguishing the heavy flames by 3:30 p.m.

An 18-year-old man at the home when the fire started was taken by to Addison Gilbert Hospital out of an abundance of caution for evaluation of possible smoke inhalation.

The house, a two-story wooden structure built in 1966, was a total loss as a result of the fire, officials said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Gloucester Fire Department and Massachusetts State Police assigned to the State Fire Marshal’s Office.

“I’d like to commend our firefighters who did excellent work battling this fire today amid hot weather and other difficult conditions,” said Gloucester Fire Chief Eric Smith. “There was also difficult access to the property on a tight street, and the fire was well-involved upon arrival. Unfortunately, there wasn’t an opportunity to save the property from the fire. But there was a real danger that this fire could have spread to neighboring properties. However, due to the outstanding efforts of our firefighters, the fire was contained, and additional damage was prevented.”