2-alarm fire in South Natick on Easter night damages one of Natick’s older homes

April 5, 2021 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

There was a 2-alarm fire at 18 Dover Road in South Natick on Easter Sunday night that sent flames high into the sky as responders doused the blaze. No one was hurt, and the owners of the 5-bedroom historic structure built in 1880 were not at home. Natick Fire Chief Michael Lentini said the cause has not been determined. The fire was called in at around 8pm, and firefighters had it under control by 9:30pm. They stayed on the scene until after midnight

Natick fire, 18 Dover Rd. — 18 Dover Road, after the fire.

Wellesley and Framingham fire departments were on scene, and Wayland and Weston assisted with coverage.

Last month the Natick Organic Community Farm’s barn burned to the ground during an early morning fire that claimed the lives of three sows and 13 piglets. No people were hurt in the 3-alarm blaze. The timber-framed barn, built after the Hurricane of 1815 using wood that was milled on-site from downed oak trees, was a total loss.

Subscribe to our free Natick Report daily email

Natick Community Organic Farm barn burns to ground, dog sounded alarm

March 17, 2021 by Bob Brown 1 Comment

Awful news from Natick Community Organic Farm overnight, as it posted a video of its 200-plus-year-old barn burning down.

Three sows and 13 piglets were lost in the 3-alarm fire that took place around 4:30am, according to the farm. “No humans were hurt, except in their hearts,” posted Office Farmer Trish Umbrell on Facebook.

natick community farm fire — The barn after the fire

Overhead look from Natick GIS:

A new farm dog called Eddy is credited with sounding the alarm, awaking on-site caretakers, who were able to evacuate and call 9-1-1. “We commend the work of the Natick, Wellesley, and Framingham Fire Departments, who acted quickly and bravely. They contained the fire to the barn, protecting the farmhouse and surrounding animal structures,” Umbrell wrote.

All about Eddy, who sounded alarm on @natickfarm fire pic.twitter.com/UOvtLkoGoa
— Natick Report (@NatickReport) March 17, 2021

The non-profit farm will be closed until Monday while the fire department investigates and the farm can plan its next moves.

An outpouring of support for the farm has flooded social media as word gets out.

You can donate to the farm either through a crowdfunding campaign launched by the farm, or directly through the Natick Community Organic Farm website.

According to the farm, the timber-framed barn was built after the Hurricane of 1815, using wood from downed oak trees that was milled on-site. In recent times has been used as a shelter for equipment, feed, and animals. The public had been free to walk through when the doors were open.

Stalls in the barn each spring are used as birthing space for pigs, and also serves baby chicks.

The barn had been modernized with solar panels on its southern roof.

We spoke to some of the farm’s personnel after the fire:

Natick Fire awarded $9K-plus in safety education grants; free CPR classes in February

February 9, 2021 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

The Natick Fire Department has been awarded Student Awareness of Fire Education (S.A.F.E) and Senior SAFE grants from the Commonwealth totaling more than $9,000.

Natick has been awarded $6,380 for Student SAFE and $2,880 for Senior SAFE, up from $5,663 and $2,730 last year.

Overall, about $2M in grants are being awarded to 239 municipal fire departments to support student and senior fire education in collaboration with teachers and senior centers.

Educational efforts have been seen as having tangible results: No children died in fires in Massachusetts last year, and the average number of children dying in fires has dropped by nearly 80% annually since the Student SAFE program began.

Senior education typically involves home visits for smoke and carbon monoxide alarm installations as well as for presentations at senior facilities.

List of FY21 S.A.F.E. and Senior SAFE Program Grant Awards.

Free CPR classes

CPR Classes are provided by the Natick Fire Department. The location is to be determined and will be emailed out approximately one week ahead of the scheduled class time. Email Firefighter Alan Gentile at agentile@natickma.org with the date of the class you would like to take.

Feb. 18 First Aid 3:30 – 6:00 pm
Feb. 23 CPR/AED 6:30 – 9:30 pm

Subscribe to our free Natick Report daily email

Intense Natick house fire leaves man dead

January 26, 2021 by Admin Leave a Comment

Authorities have confirmed a man died overnight during an intense house fire on Longfellow Road in Natick. Here’s a report from 7 News Boston, which reports the victim’s wife escaped. The cause of the fire, which is believed to have started at the back of the home, is under investigation.