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Tag: Lowell Fire Department

  • Massive portion of roof burned away during two-alarm fire in Lowell

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    LOWELL — The multi-family home at 12 Osgood St. sat open to the elements on Saturday afternoon, its shattered windows offering a clear view up through the space where the roof had burned away several hours earlier.

    What turned out to be a two-alarm fire at the two-story structure was first reported at about 5:15 a.m. Saturday, when arriving crews found flames overtaking the attic.

    Lowell Deputy Fire Chief Joe Roth said nine residents were displaced, though the building’s owner was able to provide another home for them to stay in.

    “There was significant damage to the top floor, with the roof half burnt off,” Roth said. “Significant water and smoke damage throughout the whole building.”

    “Uninhabitable at this time,” he added.

    He stopped short of saying the structure would be a total loss, but added “there’s a lot of reconstruction there.”

    Firefighters remained on scene for hours extinguishing hot spots, working in temperatures that dipped below zero overnight.

    Roth said the extreme cold created some problems for crews.

    “Ice, slips and falls,” he said, describing the challenges.

    A supply line going into the engine truck in front of the building froze during overhaul operations, forcing crews to replace it. Some hand lines also froze.

    Roth said the last of the crews left the scene at about 10:30 a.m.

    The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

    In the afternoon, the damage was evident at the home, with singed debris — including a pair of mattresses — lying on the ice-coated ground outside the structure. Icicles created by the water used to battle the flames hung off the home’s siding and from the branches of nearby trees.

    The top of the structure’s brick chimney lay severed in a snowbank next to the building.

    A woman who lives across the narrow street pointed out the sheet of ice completely covering her daughter’s car from the firefighting water, along with black embers still scattered across it.

    A sign posted on the boarded-up front door of 12 Osgood St. stated, “Danger,” followed by “this structure is deemed unsafe for human occupation,” and “it is unlawful for any person to enter or occupy.”

    Saturday morning’s blaze came less than two days after another two-alarm fire caused significant damage to a single-family home at 20 Otis St. That fire was also fought in sub-freezing temperatures, though the conditions were not as severe.

    No injuries were reported in that fire, which also remains under investigation.

    Follow Aaron Curtis on X @aselahcurtis, or on Bluesky @aaronscurtis.bsky.social.

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    Aaron Curtis

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  • Dracut firefighters battle blazes in consecutive days

    Dracut firefighters battle blazes in consecutive days

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    DRACUT — Firefighters were busy on back-to-back days this week after they were called to extinguish residential garage fires that broke out less than 16 hours apart.

    No injuries were reported and no residents were displaced due to either blaze, according to the Dracut Fire Department.

    “With some very good, aggressive firefighting, we were able to knock the fire down and limit the damage in both instances,” Dracut Fire Chief Richard Patterson said.

    Firefighters were called to the first fire at 67 Mailloux Terrace at about 9:35 p.m. Thursday. Crews arrived to find smoke showing from the single-family home’s attached garage and mounted an aggressive attack. Fire damage was contained to the garage, while the home suffered minor smoke damage.

    An investigation determined the cause of the fire was “careless disposal of smoking materials,” firefighters said.

    At approximately 1:05 p.m. Friday, firefighters were back in action, called to 854 Mammoth Road, this time finding flames showing from a garage underneath the single-family home’s living quarters. Crews made an aggressive attack and knocked the fire down before it could spread beyond the garage, according to firefighters.

    The cause of Friday’s blaze remains under investigation.

    Firefighters from Pelham, N.H. provided mutual aid at the scene of both fires, while firefighters from Tyngsboro and Lowell provided station coverage in Dracut during Friday’s blaze.

    Follow Aaron Curtis on X, formerly known as Twitter, @aselahcurtis

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    Aaron Curtis

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  • Transformer fire causes power outages in Downtown Lowell

    Transformer fire causes power outages in Downtown Lowell

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    LOWELL — Thick black smoke filled the sky over Downtown Lowell on Monday afternoon after a transformer box along Warren Street burst into flames.

    At about 3 p.m., National Grid reported there were more than 100 customers without electricity due to the blaze.

    Deputy Fire Chief Frank Kelly said at the scene that there was some sort of a fault in the electrical system in the area, causing the transformer to short out and catch fire. National Grid is investigating the cause.

    No one was injured due to the incident, which drew a large crowd of spectators on Central Street. At the fire’s height, heavy flames could be seen rising from the now decimated transformer box.

    Firefighters attempted to use dry chemical extinguishers to battle the blaze, but there was too much oil inside the box, according to Kelly. National Grid shut down the power supply to the transformer.

    Impacted by the power outage was the Inn & Conference Center, which is serving as a shelter for migrants and the homeless. UTEC, located right across the street from the fire, was also left without power.

    UTEC CEO Gregg Croteau said an explosion was heard, followed by the blaze. Out of caution, UTEC was evacuated.

    Croteau said they were told National Grid would be working on the problem “throughout the night.”

    Croteau praised the Lowell Fire Department, describing them as quick to respond and extremely helpful.

    “We had our child care center across the street, and our staff were super helpful,” he said. “We had members of our team escorting kids out, and the fire department was great to work with.”

    The Lowell Police Department closed down Warren Street, as well as Central Street, between Hurd and Market streets, while firefighters addressed the problem.

    The majority of firefighters started leaving the scene at approximately 3:40 p.m.

    Follow Aaron Curtis on X, formerly known as Twitter, @aselahcurtis

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    Aaron Curtis

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  • Driver facing criminal charges for high-speed Mustang crash at Lowell-Dracut line

    Driver facing criminal charges for high-speed Mustang crash at Lowell-Dracut line

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    DRACUT — The driver sent to a trauma center last month after crashing a neon-green Ford Mustang near the Lowell-Dracut line is facing a pile of criminal charges due to the violent single-vehicle wreck that left behind a trail of destruction on Hildreth Street.

    Christopher Jopson, 30, of Dracut, is facing a total of 10 charges due to the crash, including five counts of vandalizing property (a felony), and one count each of negligent operation of a motor vehicle, unregistered motor vehicle, uninsured motor vehicle, speeding, and marked lanes violation.

    This isn’t the first time Jopson has been in this situation, according to Lowell District Court documents.

    Jopson was arrested for another alleged reckless single-vehicle crash that occurred with him behind the wheel on Old Road in Dracut nearly two years ago. During that wreck, a Dracut Police report states Jopson totaled another Ford Mustang, this one black.

    Court documents additionally show Jopson was arrested in March 2023 for an incident in Dracut that included a response from the Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council SWAT Team, and again in June 2023 following a violent episode at the Cornelius F. Kiernan Judicial Center in Lowell.

    Each of those cases are pending in court.

    The crash on Hildreth Street took place at approximately 12:20 p.m. March 8. First responders arrived to find the brightly-colored and mangled 2013 Ford Mustang Boss 302 came to a rest in a yard after smashing through a fence in front of 430 Hildreth St. in Lowell.

    A Dracut Police incident report states Jopson was entrapped in the vehicle, “unsecured between the driver and passenger seat, with his head at the dashboard and his legs facing the rear of the vehicle.”

    Lowell and Dracut firefighters were able to extricate Jopson using hydraulic rescue tools. He was transported to Lowell General Hospital and then flown by medical helicopter to Lahey Hospital in Burlington. Medical records available in court documents state he suffered an elbow fracture, and a facial laceration. Records also state Jopson experienced a seizure, which Jopson’s attorney, Ernest Stone, has said caused the crash.

    As for the crash scene, police said debris and car parts from the vehicle spanned approximately 200 feet from the intersection of Hildreth and Hovey streets, to where the vehicle came to a rest. Several bystanders and drivers reported witnessing the vehicle being operated erratically, speeding, traveling on the wrong side of the road, and going through a red light on Hildreth Street just prior to the crash.

    “He went around two cars, and he was coming directly at me,” driver Tracey Walton, of Dracut, told The Sun at the scene that day. “Then he switched back into the lane he was supposed to be in. I thought he was going to hit me.”

    The laundry list of damaged property from the chaotic crash — which led to the vandalism charges — included a mailbox unit for an apartment complex, a picket fence lining a parking lot by Henry Avenue, a street sign, a cement wall, and a telephone pole that was snapped in half.

    Surveillance footage of the vehicle’s treacherous route, captured by cameras at the nearby Hannaford, showed the Mustang went airborne at one point. Police said the Mustang’s estimated speed was 80 to 100 mph. The speed limit in that section of roadway is 30 mph.

    The Registry of Motor Vehicles sent a correspondence to Jopson, dated March 11, stating his driver’s license was “suspended indefinitely because of an immediate threat” to public safety, according to the RMV paperwork available in court documents.

    Court documents state Jopson was arraigned by Lowell District Court Judge William Travaun Bailey on April 3. Due to this latest arrest, Jopson’s release from custody due to the aforementioned previous charges was revoked, and he was ordered held without bail.

    In an affidavit filed in support of a motion to reconsider the revocation of release, Stone stated Jopson suffers from epilepsy, and that he endures seizures multiple times a week. Stone said in the affidavit that Jopson “suffered a seizure without warning while driving causing the crash.”

    According to the defense attorney, Jopson is in the process of having a surgery within the coming months to address the seizure disorder, and needs to attend preoperative meetings.

    Stone also stated in the affidavit that the Mustang, which had been purchased recently from a dealership in Henderson, Nevada, was both registered and insured at the time of the wreck.

    The motion to allow Jopson’s release from custody was ultimately denied by Judge Michael Fabbri following a hearing on April 11.

    A Dracut Police incident report states the other motor vehicle crash involving Jopson occurred in the 40 block of Old Road on May 14, 2022. In that crash, Jopson was uninjured. When police arrived on scene, they found him standing outside the totaled 2010 Ford Mustang that had come to a rest in the eastbound lane, facing west.

    Jopson claimed, according to police, that he had turned onto Old Road from Sicard Avenue when a car entered his lane, forcing him to swerve. The Mustang spun out, eventually exiting the road and striking a tree stump.

    The skid marks in the roadway did not match Jopson’s story, police wrote in the report, adding that a driver who was behind the Mustang at the time of the crash also refuted Jopson’s claims of another car causing the wreck.

    The witness told police he observed the Mustang speeding and being operated recklessly, before it crossed the yellow lines and crashed.

    The witness said he stopped at the crash scene, where he claimed to hear Jopson tell another bystander “that he was going to tell police that a car pulled out of a side street in front of him and caused the crash so he wouldn’t get in trouble.”

    Jopson was subsequently charged with operating to endanger and marked lanes violation.

    “The vehicle had the potential to be a danger for any vehicle traveling on Old Road as the vehicle entered both lanes of travel during the incident,” police said in the report. “The vehicle left the roadway on both sides of the road causing potential danger to any possible pedestrians in the area.”

    Less than a year later, on March 19, 2023, a Dracut Police incident report states officers were dispatched to a residence on Sicard Avenue for a disturbance involving Jopson and one of his family members. Jopson is alleged to have pulled a 3-inch folding knife on the family member. After the police were called, Jopson retreated into his residence.

    Police said they made contact with Jopson, who refused to leave the home “stating he did nothing wrong” and what he did was self-defense. Due to the presence of a weapon, NEMLEC SWAT was summoned. Jopson was ultimately charged with assault with a dangerous weapon.

    On June 26, 2023, Jopson was charged with vandalism, disruption of court proceedings, and disorderly conduct after he allegedly became irate during a clerk’s hearing in Lowell District Court. An arrest report from a court officer states Jopson punched a table and threw a chair while “yelling and screaming obscenities” until he was taken into custody by officers.

    Jopson is slated to return to court for a pretrial hearing on May 14.

    Stone declined to comment.

    Follow Aaron Curtis on X, formerly known as Twitter, @aselahcurtis

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    Aaron Curtis

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  • Greater Lowell Tech students design signs for Lowell fire station

    Greater Lowell Tech students design signs for Lowell fire station

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    TYNGSBORO — Greater Lowell Technical High School students from the Computer Aided Drafting and Design, Carpentry and Painting and Design programs combined their talents to create two new signs for the Lowell Fire Department’s West Sixth Street Fire Station.

    Lowell Fire Lt. Shawn Sirois, who works out of the West Sixth Street Station where Engine 6 and Ladder 4 are stationed, reached out to the school to inquire about having students replace the signs for the station, which had rotted. Superintendent Jill Davis thought it would be a great community project for the students to engage in and students and instructors in the CADD, Carpentry and Painting and Design programs jumped at the opportunity.

    CADD students working under the direction of instructor Michael Stack helped design the initial logo and sign.

    Carpentry students, guided by instructor Michael Murphy, then used a large CNC router to cut AZEK PVC material into two 2-foot-by-8-foot signs that incorporated the design and department logo.

    Painting and Design students, working under Instructor Michael Donahue, then finished and painted the signs, experimenting with different types of paint and primer that worked best on the weather-proof PVC material.

    The finished signs were presented by the students and instructors in the Painting and Design program on Friday, April 5, to Assistant Fire Chief David Keene and firefighters from the West Sixth Street Station. The firefighters brought over and shared pizza with the students and instructors and thanked them for their work. The students who contributed to the project signed the back of the two signs and with their instructors posed for photos with the firefighters.

    Sirois said all the firefighters from the station were impressed by the high quality of the work.

    “What you guys did painting-wise was phenomenal,” Sirois said. “Hats off to you and hats off to everyone who did such a fantastic job.”

    Yamixeliz Suarez-Aguiar, a student in the Painting and Design shop, said the project was challenging because it involved work students had never done before.

    “We used new kinds of material and the fact that it was going out in public definitely added some pressure,” Suarez-Aguiar said. “But it also motivated us to really do our best at the same time.”

    Painting and Design student Isabella Viera said the new types of work that students had to do taught them new ways of painting and doing things.

    “It was so drastically different from what we usually do — it taught us to adjust and adapt to different scenarios,” Viera said.

    Painting and Design students Ashley Tineo and Jeaneudelis Torres said they enjoyed working on behalf of firefighters and knowing that the community will see their work.

    “When you’re in the shop everything is in a bubble and your work kinda stays within the school, so it was really nice working on a project that meant a lot to other individuals,” said Painting and Design student Beatriz Borba Brasil.

    “This project had such a positive impact on the students, fostering confidence in their abilities and pride in their workmanship. Having their efforts showcased in the community will undoubtedly be a source of pride for both the students and their families and friends. Being able to point to their contributions and say, ‘I was a part of that work,’ is truly a testament to their hard work and dedication,” said Davis.

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  • The Five Minute Read

    The Five Minute Read

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    Tow company recognized

    CHELMSFORD — On Monday, March 11, the Chelmsford Police Department K-9 Unit recognized Christopher Ferreira, owner of Christopher’s Towing, with a certificate of achievement from the U.S. Police Canine Association.

    For the past 10 years, Christopher’s Towing has provided vehicles for K-9 officers and their partners to help facilitate search training and K-9 certifications.

    “Christopher’s Towing has been a great community partner and extremely supportive of our K-9 Unit,” Police Chief Colin Spence said in a statement. “In addition, Christopher’s Towing has supported various charitable organizations supported by the police department.”

    FEMA grant to Lowell General Hospital

    The Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded a $5,515,683 public assistance grant to Massachusetts to reimburse Lowell General Hospital — part of the Tufts Medicine health system — for the cost of hiring temporary nursing staff and some administrative costs incurred responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “FEMA is pleased to be able to assist Lowell General Hospital with these costs,” FEMA Region 1 Regional Administrator Lori Ehrlich said in a statement. “Reimbursing state, county, and municipal governments – as well as eligible non-profits and tribal entities – for the costs incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic is an important part of our nation’s ongoing recovery.”

    Mill Girls exhibit/discussion

    LOWELL — Join park rangers for “A Century Apart: Mill Girls and Working Women in Lowell,” on Sunday, March 24, from 2 to 2:45 p.m., at the Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center, 246 Market St.

    The free tour is open to all and the presentation will explore Mill Girl life in the 1840s and the lives of women workers during the 1940s in Lowell.

    Free parking is available at 350 Dutton St. in the Hamilton Canal Innovation District Parking Garage. Pick up a parking voucher at the visitor center’s front desk to use when exiting the garage. For information, call 978-970-5000.

    Police and fire recruitment session

    LOWELL — The city of Lowell, in partnership with MassHire, will host a fire and police recruitment information session on Tuesday, March 26, from 10 a.m. to noon, and 2 to 4 p.m., at the MassHire Lowell Career Center, 107 Merrimack St.

    The session will include meet-and-greets with current staff members, information on the hiring and civil exam process, and learning about the benefits and challenges of working as a police officer or firefighter.

    To register, visit masshirelowellcc.com/lowellwork. For information, call 978-458-2503.

    Indoor farm market at Mill No. 5

    LOWELL — The indoor farm market at Mill No. 5 takes place Sunday, March 24, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 250 Jackson St. The market operates year-round indoors and provides a direct connection between local food producers and consumers. Frequent vendors include Grateful Tastes of Lowell, Nallie Pastures Farm of Dracut, Little Crumby Bakeshop of Haverhill and pop-up vendors such as Craic Sauce, Blisspoint Meadery and Mocha Connection. Parking is available at the Early Garage, 135 Middlesex St. For information, visit millno5.com, call 978-656-1828 or email farm@millno5.com.

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    Melanie Gilbert

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  • Hail Mary pass for Smith Baker Center, ‘Lowell’s Cathedral’

    Hail Mary pass for Smith Baker Center, ‘Lowell’s Cathedral’

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    LOWELL — The fate of the magnificent but derelict and potentially dangerous Smith Baker Center, once called “Lowell’s Cathedral,” was the focus of three motions on the City Council’s agenda Tuesday night, one of which called for it to be torn down.

    “It’s in no condition for anything other than demolition,” Councilor Erik Gitschier said.

    The imposing high Victorian Gothic-style edifice, located at 412 Merrimack St., across from both City Hall and the Pollard Memorial Library, was constructed in 1884 for use as the First Congregational Church.

    The city purchased the four-story, red-brick building in 1975 for $85,000. The building later became home to the Council on Aging and was known as the Smith Baker Center. The COA was relocated to its current location on Broadway Street in 2002, and the building has been vacant ever since. It is one of approximately 363 properties in the city’s portfolio.

    The City Council declared the property surplus in July 2011, and posted at least three requests for proposals, but no deals closed. Coalition for a Better Acre, a nonprofit community organization, considered buying the property in 2018, but could not agree on terms with the city.

    Six years ago, then-CBA Director of Real Estate Craig Thomas told the CBA board that projected development costs were $18 million with the unheated building needing significant site prep work.

    “The building is beautiful and amazing, but it is deteriorating,” Thomas said. “There is significant water damage and it needs to be weatherized and stabilized.”

    Gitschier’s roll-call floor motion failed with only himself and Councilor John Descoteaux voting in favor. Descoteaux said its “time had run out.”

    “The city has done its due diligence,” Descoteaux said. “If I had my druthers, I’d have a wrecking ball on it tomorrow morning. What have we been talking about for the last year? Housing. We need more housing.”

    He advocated for clearing the site for housing development.

    The Department of Planning and Development noted last September that the “DPD does not have a funding source identified that would cover the cost of (hazardous material) abatement and demolition at this time.”

    Councilor Paul Ratha Yem’s motion asked that the city have the appropriate department apply for Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund grants from the Massachusetts Historical Commission to preserve and restore the building.

    The deed on the property does not limit the city’s ability to sell the property or restrict its reuse options, but the property is listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places and any action utilizing federal or state funding would require approval by the Massachusetts Historical Commission.

    Additionally, the state will only reimburse up to 50% of expenses of a maximum grant amount of $100,000. A 2018 facility condition assessment estimated capital needs of almost $3 million, which several councilors said the city doesn’t have.

    “… as a city, we cannot afford it,” Councilor Vesna Nuon said.

    The report noted numerous problems including no elevators serving the building and inoperable hot water, electrical, heating and cooling and fire protection systems.

    Six years later, the basement walls, which are the foundation of the entire structure, have a remaining useful life of 10 years, the roof is within one year of its useful life and the interior plaster walls and ceilings and flooring have no useful life remaining. The existing layout and interior components were rated as not being Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant and not to code.

    Last year the city prohibited parking on the west side of the building parallel to Cardinal O’Connell Parkway due to concerns about debris falling off the façade.

    Public safety was raised in Nuon’s motion which asked for a report back from City Manager Tom Golden on the issue.

    Councilors noted boarded up windows, and Gitschier said the space is being used by unhoused people. A reporter visited the site last week and saw unsecured windows allowing both people and the elements into the space.

    “I’m worried that something may happen as we wait,” Nuon said. “What if that building somehow fell down and killed those unhoused people? This building is beyond repair.”

    In 2021, the nearly 140-year-old building was declared unsafe for firefighters to enter. Two red and white X’s are attached to the building, which signifies that unless it’s determined a person is inside, firefighters will battle the fire from outside. It’s one of more than a dozen such properties marked by the Fire Department throughout the city.

    Nuon also submitted a motion in 2022 requesting an update on the Smith Baker building from then-City Manager Eileen Donoghue.

    Then-Assistant City Manager and DPD Director Christine McCall wrote that the building qualified for earmarked funding based on its location within a Transformative Development Initiative district.

    “We see this as a unique opportunity to work with MassDevelopment, community partners, and residents to envision an appropriate reuse of this building and potentially unlock critical funding to rehabilitate the building,” she said.

    The status of that report was not discussed at council, but Golden acknowledged the toll that 20 years of neglect have had on the historic building. He asked to present options to the council at its March 5 meeting.

    “I am extremely concerned with this building, but facing the piece of taking it down is troubling,” he said. “Let me come in with an idea.”

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    Melanie Gilbert

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