Firefighters save dog, other pets perish, as flames destroy Lakeville home

According to LFD, Lakeville Firefighters were dispatched to 91 Kingman St for the reported house fire at 11:58 a.m. Sunday. Based on the information provided by Lakeville Fire Alarm, a “working fire” assignment was requested prior to the arrival of the first firefighters.
The “working fire” declaration activated mutual aid from Freetown, Rochester, Berkley, Acushnet, and Taunton. Lakeville PD shut down the street for firefighters. Providence Canteen responded to the scene to provide rehab for the responders.

Responders arrived 7 minutes after the call came into dispatch to find heavy fire venting from the front of the home.

All occupants of the home had evacuated.

Two handlines were deployed and crews made an aggressive interior attack. Upon entering the home, firefighters were unable to make it to the fire location due to obstructions in the home. Firefighters withdrew from the house and made entry again from another side of the house; this time knocking the fire down.

LFD stated that several small animals were lost in the fire, including guinea pigs and gerbils. Firefighters did manage to rescue the family’s pet dog.

Photo courtesy of Lakeville Fire Department

Extensive knockdown of walls in the home was required to fully extinguish the fire; with crews remaining on scene until 2:16 p.m. The Fire Chief remained on scene until after 4:00 p.m. working to secure shelter for the residents. The Red Cross was able to provide shelter for the 6 displaced family members for the night.

The cause of the fire was accidental and was believed to have started from a space heater being positioned too close to combustibles.

It was learned that the family did not have homeowner’s insurance.

Lakeville Fire Chief Mike O’Brien commended the efforts of firefighters and was thankful for mutual aid partners. “Firefighters overcame difficult conditions to stop the fire where we found it; I am proud to be part of the professionalism and proficiency shown by Lakeville and area firefighters today.”