Fire strikes home in Dudley

DUDLEY -  Shortly after 7 p.m. on Friday January 4, Dudley firefighters responded to a fire in a single family dwelling located at 158 Corbin Road.  The owner and lone occupant of the building, Lawrence Borowski, escaped the building unharmed.

At approximately 7:11 p.m. Dudley Fire Alarm received a 911 call reporting a house on fire at the Corbin Rd. address, and both fire and police units were dispatched to the location.  Initial reports from the Fire Alarm Office reported that the structure was fully involved.  With the home being located in a rural area with no fire hydrants close by, Dudley firefighters immediately called for help from the surrounding fire departments in Webster, Southbridge, and Charlton.  Neighboring Thompson CT fire companies were also dispatched to the fire initially, but were diverted to cover the empty Dudley Fire Station.

The first arriving Dudley firefighters found visible fire and smoke, venting from the front of the structure.  An aggressive interior fire attack quickly quelled the flames, and impeded the fire from extending further into the structure.  Firefighters performed quick and efficient overhaul of the fire area to make sure an errant spark could not re-ignite the dwelling.

Fire damage was confined to a storage room at the rear of the house, where the fire is believed to have started.  Smoke and water damage was sustained throughout the one-and-a-half story structure.  No damage estimate was available.  The fire was investigated by Dudley Fire Captain David Konieczny and Trooper Greg Spahl of the State Fire Marshals Office.  Although the cause of the evening fire remains undetermined, it does appear to be accidental in nature.

Dudley firefighters remained on the scene for about three and a half hours before turning the property over to the owner.