A fire in a Merrimac, Massachusetts home, was kept from becoming a larger blaze thanks in large part to a teenager who lives in the house, the town's fire chief said.
According to the Merrimac Fire Department, they first received a 911 call at around 8:30 p.m. Friday night about a fire on Town Forest Road. The person who called 911 was the homeowner's 18-year-old son, who heard smoke detectors going off inside the house.
“Remaining cool and making smart choices, like calling 911 right away, were pivotal in preventing the spread of the fire and minimizing the damage,” Merrimac Fire Chief Larry S. Fisher said in a statement.
Crews found the fire coming from the house's garage when they arrived. They extinguished the fire soon after they arrived, which Fisher partially credited to the 18-year-old for calling 911 so quickly.
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“I spoke with him and let him know that the decisions that he made and the role that he played were important to preventing a much larger incident," Fisher said.
Fisher also said they requested help from the Amesbury Fire Department to put out the fire, but Merrimac firefighters extinguished the fire before Amesbury firefighters even arrived in Merrimac.
The cause of the fire is still unknown. Fisher says the Merrimac Fire Department is still investigating the cause.
