Seekonk Fire Chief Reassures Residents

Seekonk Fire Chief Shaun Whalen reassured residents about the safety of their homes after a devastating fire recently.

A house owned by former Select Board member Justin Sullivan burned to the ground on April 21. The property at 29 Emily Way was outside the town’s water district. Tanker trucks from several neighboring communities were brought in to assist.

“These areas have been developed and have been occupied for many many years,” Whalen said Wednesday.

Whalen explained the Fire Department were “aware of these neighborhoods and have developed very specific tactics and strategies to fight fires in these areas.”

“The home at Emily Way partially collapsed within moments of the first arriving companies at the scene,” Whalen noted. “Neighboring homes became threatened due to the large volume of fire, blowing embers and smoke. All of those affected homes were successfully protected from fire and from further threat. The situation was handled effectively and professionally by your Seekonk Fire Department along with all the other responding agencies.”

Whalen encouraged residents to practice home fire safety drills and make sure they have working smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.