New Bedford Fire Crews Fight Fifth Fire in Three Days

NEW BEDFORD — Firefighters responded to a house fire in downtown New Bedford on Monday, marking the fifth blaze that the city's fire department has fought since Saturday and the second this afternoon.

Crews were called to a Pleasant Street home just after 5 p.m. Monday to combat the fire, which was extinguished in around half an hour and resulted in four people being displaced, according to unconfirmed scanner reports.

The incident took place after another fire in New Bedford's North End displaced several residents at around 2 p.m.

New Bedford Fire Chief Scott Kruger could not immediately be reached for comment on either blaze.

The fire department released a statement Monday noting that on Saturday, firefighters responded to three separate fires, one of which resulted in the death of a dog.

Get our free mobile app

In the first incident, crews were called out to the front of 341 Summer St. at 10 a.m. Saturday for a commercial construction truck that was engulfed in flames outside the house.

The nearby home was not damaged in the fire, according to the department. The cause of the fire was found to be accidental.

Then at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, firefighters responded to a reported fire at a 136 Tallman St. home.

An accidental fire that was started by a space heater and nearby combustibles was confined to the third floor apartment, the department noted in the release.

Two adult residents were displaced and are being helped by the Red Cross.

Damage to the apartment was estimated at $11,000. No injuries were reported.

Finally, the third fire on Saturday took place just after 11 p.m. at 176 Durfee St., where a camper was on fire very close to a residence.

The blaze was extinguished before it reached the house. A dog was found inside the camper, and the department stated that resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful.

The third fire remains under investigation.

No word yet on the cause of the two fires on Monday.