Mother and Two Children Escape $30,000 Fire at 250 Dean Street-September 21, 1977

A mother and her two children narrowly escaped serious injury when a two-alarm, $30,000 fire severely damaged their Cape-style home at 250 Dean St. early yesterday afternoon.

Quick Action Avoids Tragedy as Fire Guts Den

Mrs. Margaret Ross was doing housework on the second floor when her five-year-old son, Jimmy, spotted flames coming from an air conditioner in the den and alerted her. By the time Mrs. Ross reached the downstairs telephone, black smoke was rapidly filling the kitchen and dining areas. After calling the fire department, she realized her two-year-old daughter, Nancy, had wandered into a corner of the house and become frightened. Mrs. Ross courageously searched through the smoke-filled rooms to locate and rescue the toddler.

Firefighters, led by Lt. William Turner, arrived to find flames leaping from the den windows, prompting a second-alarm call and mutual aid coverage from the Westwood Fire Department. The blaze was extinguished after more than an hour. Lt. Turner estimated the damage at $15,000 to the structure—leaving the den completely gutted and the rest of the home heavily damaged by smoke and soot—and another $15,000 to furniture and personal contents.

Fire officials suspect the fire ignited in a rain-soaked air conditioner after it was plugged in. Mr. George N. Ross, a corrections officer at the Norfolk Prison Colony and part-time Westwood school bus driver who was returning home when he spotted the smoke from Route 1, expressed immense gratitude for the local emergency response, noting that firefighters quickly helped calm the family. The family plans to temporarily utilize a trailer on the property while repairs are made.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger