Oh my goodness! I remember when this happened, but I never actually SAW it... My family had a tradition on Black Friday - we never went to the mall or any other store, instead we went to the Mendon Country Gift Barn. Once we were finished spending time there, we went pretty much across the street here to Lowell's Restaurant and had brunch. It's also right down the street from Imperial Cars, where I've bought and serviced several vehicles, so every time I pass by where Lowell's used to be, I remember it fondly. Thank you to all who tried to save this building, and it's sad that it burnt completely down.
It looked like they were putting the wet stuff on the right places early on but the fluff caught fast and that old tinderbox didn’t have any resistance and up it went with a quickness.
Looks like first radio on scene should have reported large woodframe commercial with active fire, no hydrants. Send me 5 hose reel trucks & 20 tankers NOW.
From the very beginning of this video, you saw the fire take hold, and not let go. It seemed like the water supply was very limited, which meant very few lines were being used. Also, the outcome was set early in the fire. Insurance, not water, would be the final outcome. What a shame.
Do firemen need 'spotters' to point out to the hoseman when they are MISSING the flames? I don't understand this. Flames are roaring and they are spraying an adjacent roof. ??
The problem with keeping old trucks after 25 years the insurance goes way up. On another note ,the ladder truck was put way to close to the building. We are taught from day one, when setting up make sure you're out of a collapses zone. It didn't matter here, but shutting down a truck and moving it can make or break a fire .
I read that the fire started in the kitchen ventilation system. This building was over 50 years old and had 11 additions prior to the entire structure being enclosed by one set of walls and one full roof in 1977-78. See photos and articles here: www.hope1842.com/mendonntlowellsdairy.html
Unless there is something I am missing....why does it seem as though the fire department did pretty much nothing when the fire seemingly was manageable?
I didn't say that I was there....I didn't say that I did know. I only commented that it "seemed" along with "Unless there is something I am missing". A harmless comment on RUclips. I am sorry if that offended you.
I'm stunned at the fire fighting tactics used here. The firefighter at th sidewalk corner started putting water immediately through the window onto the fire and continued to do so while fire away very visible through other windows. Seems like he should have been instructed to move around and attack open flames.
First trucks on scene parked way to close to the building, it sure looked to me they decided real quick to just let it burn, all those tankers and dump tanks so water was not the issue. At least three ladder trucks and I only saw one for a few min. spraying water, dozens of lines laid out and only saw a couple doing anything, then they just walked away.
Does that really LOOK like something that could be put out?? They can't get on the roof because the roof is burning. They can't go inside because that's burning too. So, I guess they are relegating to standing safely outside the building and shooting water at it. The RUclips Fire Observers here must all live in the handful of areas that have excess equipment, men, money and water.
While that one ladder was a bit on the vintage side, everything else there seemed quite modern for the time. Could be that it was a reserve piece put into service while a front line truck was being serviced.
@Ronny Koeller As a Chief you should KNOW better than to second guess a fire that: A. You weren't there, and have ZERO knowledge of conditions on arrival. Nor do you know the building history or construction details or fire conditions. B. This is from 2004, equipment, training, and manning are probably nothing like what they are now. C. Your comments about interior attacks and "full fog" attack are from about 1970, it's clear you haven't kept up with modern training or fire tactics. Just because you WERE a Chief, it doesn't mean you were a good one...
They obviously believe in the old natural way of fighting a fire. When they found out that the rain alone wasn`t going to put the fire out without help, they decided to break a couple of water hoses out.
@@alleycat9884 That comment makes ZERO sense. It's clear that neither you or your ten year old know anything about firefighting. Either post some INFORMED criticism or run along.
@@alleycat9884 I have 35+ years on FD's in the US, one is a large metro dept, as well as a rural dept. where I live. Please post IN DETAIL anything these guys did wrong. You're bitching about a fire that happened over 15 years ago, with NO legitimate criticisms. As typical of a troll, your channel has no content...
They wouldn't come close to using a million gallons on a fire like this. And since they're using tankers, its possible that they're using ponds or streams for a water source. Water is cheap, even municipal water. Taxpayers pay for the water though, which is nothing compared to what it costs for apparatus and equipment.
ffjsb Also at the beginning of the video they had a poor water supply. In my opinion that’s why the fire grew out of control. They must have established a sufficient water supply at some point.
You can't expect a building made of wood and cardboard to be saved in a fire. There's really nothing you can do once it gets a hold, apart from letting it burn out in a controlled way if possible. We had a big restaurant fire here as well a couple of years ago. The building was also constructed from wood. And to make matters worse, it had a thatched roof. Absolutely nothing they could do about it, and there was literally nothing left of it afterwards. Fortunately they were smart enough to rebuild it in concrete and stone! This is a clip from that fire: ruclips.net/video/GPJqi1WqhgY/видео.html
Patrick Brookings thanks for the link to that crazy fire. It was hopeless before the fire dept arrived. Looked like it was more than the restaurant on fire but it was hard to tell with all the flames. Fires in your country sure attract crowds. I would have been one of the crowd if I was there. What country was this?
@@doreenblatz2440 Thanks for the reply. This is in Odessa, Ukraine. It was in the middle of Summer, very dry as we tend to have hot Summers here. And as it is a popular tourist destination at the Black Sea, and the restaurant is right by the sea, that explains the crowd. It was caused when there was a flash flame from a grill, and the thatched roof caught fire. As you said, it was a hopeless situation even before the fire services arrived, spreading extremely fast. It's quite a large property with multiple buildings. Nearly everything went up in flames. There was also a small playing area for kids, as well as a tiny zoo. Such a shame, it was a really nice looking and cosy place. But fortunately nobody got hurt. They even saved all the animals as well. Within about a year they rebuilt it at the same location. The day after: ruclips.net/video/H5VXhGmgrNM/видео.html And what it looks like now: ruclips.net/video/ZunPx8nXe_0/видео.html
Patrick Brookings thank you so much. Its a rare chance to see the aftermath of a fire but to also see what they replaced it with was wonderful. I was happy to hear no one died in the fire including the animals. What a beautiful resort they have replaced it with. Thank You for taking the time to show me. ❤️
@@doreenblatz2440 Thank you, you're most welcome :) I have to say though, while this fire was a very unfortunate accident, fire safety regulations here tend to be a big joke. Thanks to a lot of corruption and all that. Only a few months ago there was big fire in a budget hotel which apparently didn't care less about fire safety. Many rooms didn't even have windows, smoke alarms did not work, and so on. Sadly, 9 people died in that fire :(
Patrick Brookings that’s terrible. Time for the government to get new safety regulations in place. I would never sleep in a hotel without windows, scary place.
Ok so obviously there was an issue with the water supply, i get it, but damn there ractics are horrible. The entire second floor is fully involved, fire from floor to ceiling, half of the roof has collapsed exposing the bulk of the fire and these clowns are watering down the roof, put the water on the fire!!!!!
Take into account, this was a old building, with many additions put on, over the years. Fighting a fire like this in addition to a shortage of water supply, spells doom to the structure.
Yep, that would be a Dodge. I'm thinking that would maybe have been a 60's vintage fuel truck, possibly from an airport, which would make it overweight if hauling water.
@15:00 I would have called for a bulldozer and leveled what was left then it be easier to put out the fire. Tinder conditions, water shortage and no hydrant infrastructure sealed the fate of this business dwelling.
Aw, God thank you so much for all the fire fighters to rescue people lives, out there. That my State. I know this thing took place far off, where i am located. God rescuse all those people inside that house do God. I dont know even know the place i am just writing. Later on I understood that the place is a resturant or what. I dont know if people are threre or any thing. That a fire. The life of the recuersi was praying for them so nothing should happen to none of them. That all.
no water again. hydrant issues plaguing these small towns. Chief asking all the right questions, got no water That's the only barber shop in town. sad after thought springler system.
I almost thought I recall hearing it didn't have a sprinkler system at all! Or maybe there was one but I think the building was old so it would have been a retrofit anyway.
Plaguing? You have any idea what it would cost to install an infrastructure from scratch? Neither do I but I would hazard a guess that it has lots of zeros.
They didn't have the water for a master stream at first, the average tanker holds 3000 gallons, a master stream even back then would be using 1000-1500 gallons a minute, so that a tanker every 2 minutes just for 1 stream, never mind the hand lines.
Rodney McCowan you must be awfully stupid to have to be reminded not to call the fire dept. since you seem to think you know so much why would you need a reminder? Seriously you of all people will need to call!
Oh my goodness! I remember when this happened, but I never actually SAW it...
My family had a tradition on Black Friday - we never went to the mall or any other store, instead we went to the Mendon Country Gift Barn. Once we were finished spending time there, we went pretty much across the street here to Lowell's Restaurant and had brunch.
It's also right down the street from Imperial Cars, where I've bought and serviced several vehicles, so every time I pass by where Lowell's used to be, I remember it fondly.
Thank you to all who tried to save this building, and it's sad that it burnt completely down.
"Well, since we have a water problem, how about we go inside the restaurant and help ourselves to lunch before the entire structure catches fire..!!!"
What’s the status on roof ventilation? Chief, it already burned through the roof.
Seems like an example of how to be completely ineffective on saving a structure with a lot of manpower.
It looked like they were putting the wet stuff on the right places early on but the fluff caught fast and that old tinderbox didn’t have any resistance and up it went with a quickness.
20:10 Nice old Dodge C series tanker, cool to see the classics still working.
Its amazing how much fire tactics and operations have changed since this happened
Are they wanting it to burn down? They don't seem to know how to put out the fire.
that ladder truck is older then I am
Looks like first radio on scene should have reported large woodframe commercial with active fire, no hydrants. Send me 5 hose reel trucks & 20 tankers NOW.
Boy, that got out of control real quick...
Probably had a bunch of fire running in void spaces or a false ceiling by the age of that building.
Love the old ladder truck
Is it a Mack?
@@notthatdonald1385 Maxim 1973 from Hopedale
Was that a open cab Maxium ladder truck ?
From the very beginning of this video, you saw the fire take hold, and not let go. It seemed like the water supply was very limited, which meant very few lines were being used. Also, the outcome was set early in the fire. Insurance, not water, would be the final outcome. What a shame.
Nothing like driving an old ladder into the side of the building...…...
At least nobody can say: "They didn't leave room for the truck company."
Do firemen need 'spotters' to point out to the hoseman when they are MISSING the flames? I don't understand this. Flames are roaring and they are spraying an adjacent roof. ??
Some firemen have inhaled so much smoke that they are little "slow" because of the brain damage. They can function but need lots of guidance.
Wow, that's an old ladder truck. But if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Taking a guess ... MILLVILLE LADDER ?
The problem with keeping old trucks after 25 years the insurance goes way up. On another note ,the ladder truck was put way to close to the building. We are taught from day one, when setting up make sure you're out of a collapses zone. It didn't matter here, but shutting down a truck and moving it can make or break a fire .
A Maxim with an open cab,even.
@@BruceInFlorida Nope, It says Hopedale on the back of it
Hopedale’s Ladder Truck has since been replaced from when this video was taken.
I read that the fire started in the kitchen ventilation system. This building was over 50 years old and had 11 additions prior to the entire structure being enclosed by one set of walls and one full roof in 1977-78. See photos and articles here: www.hope1842.com/mendonntlowellsdairy.html
Unless there is something I am missing....why does it seem as though the fire department did pretty much nothing when the fire seemingly was manageable?
Daylight 1 you weren’t there, you don’t know
I didn't say that I was there....I didn't say that I did know. I only commented that it "seemed" along with "Unless there is something I am missing". A harmless comment on RUclips. I am sorry if that offended you.
Daylight 1 they ran into a water supply issue. Possibly due to lack of hydrants or the flow and pressure were too low.
Ok, all the horns work. Confirmed!
mtnviper1963 it’s a signal to exit the building immediately. Called an evacuation tone
The fire started in the kitchen. The problem occurred when Mrs Miller ordered her steak well done.
How old is the Maxim?
I'm stunned at the fire fighting tactics used here. The firefighter at th sidewalk corner started putting water immediately through the window onto the fire and continued to do so while fire away very visible through other windows. Seems like he should have been instructed to move around and attack open flames.
They have an open cab ladder truck…
First trucks on scene parked way to close to the building, it sure looked to me they decided real quick to just let it burn, all those tankers and dump tanks so water was not the issue. At least three ladder trucks and I only saw one for a few min. spraying water, dozens of lines laid out and only saw a couple doing anything, then they just walked away.
Joseph Robichaud Standing in an open door with uncharged hose lines sure didn’t help.
Does that really LOOK like something that could be put out?? They can't get on the roof because the roof is burning. They can't go inside because that's burning too. So, I guess they are relegating to standing safely outside the building and shooting water at it. The RUclips Fire Observers here must all live in the handful of areas that have excess equipment, men, money and water.
We watch a lot of you fires, might as well subscribe. Thank you for taking us along & showing us.
Thats a cool old ladder truck.
I'd be embarrassed to be a member of this squad. How not to put out a fire.
what crap for departments ,I could point out at least 28 errors they made on the attack...what a sorry excuse for a total loss!
I seen that ladder truck and was waiting for the horse drawn pump to arrive 😂
Ladder is a little to close to the building
While that one ladder was a bit on the vintage side, everything else there seemed quite modern for the time. Could be that it was a reserve piece put into service while a front line truck was being serviced.
WHY WASTE MONEY ON LADDER TRUCKS IF UR NOT GOING TO USE THEM??
I'm guessing at 9:30 in the video a propane tank blew?
Something tells me this fire department(s) hasn't lost a foundation yet.
Something tells me you don't know anything about firefighting.
@Ronny Koeller You can't even spell Chief...I seriously doubt you were even a firefighter.
Most of those departments are volunteer, I noticed about 4 surrounding departments on scene
@Ronny Koeller As a Chief you should KNOW better than to second guess a fire that:
A. You weren't there, and have ZERO knowledge of conditions on arrival. Nor do you know the building history or construction details or fire conditions.
B. This is from 2004, equipment, training, and manning are probably nothing like what they are now.
C. Your comments about interior attacks and "full fog" attack are from about 1970, it's clear you haven't kept up with modern training or fire tactics.
Just because you WERE a Chief, it doesn't mean you were a good one...
Something tells me your an asshole....
That has to be horrible just watching it burn waiting for water😢
This fire started in the kitchen? Grease?
Let's just let it burn
Ok
Food on the stove?
The fire won that battle.
How old is that open cab ladder truck?!?
Most likely from the 50s or 60s
Terrible attack even with a limited defensive water supply. Shame on the chief.
And not one air tank was emptied that day.
I believe you are wrong. There was an interior attack at one point. The evac tones were hit to evacuate
Wow..hard to believe that ladder truck can still get certified
Some dept's don't bother with certification, because they're holding fish fry's just to pay for fuel...
They obviously believe in the old natural way of fighting a fire. When they found out that the rain alone wasn`t going to put the fire out without help, they decided to break a couple of water hoses out.
You obviously don't know what you're talking about.
😅😅😅
I wonder how many people that commented on this video are actually firemen or just RUclips firemen.
I watched Emergency as a kid growing up. Thank you very much
Well you can tell who a real FIREFIGHTER is when they can back up their criticism of the video.
@@alleycat9884 That comment makes ZERO sense. It's clear that neither you or your ten year old know anything about firefighting. Either post some INFORMED criticism or run along.
@@alleycat9884 I have 35+ years on FD's in the US, one is a large metro dept, as well as a rural dept. where I live.
Please post IN DETAIL anything these guys did wrong. You're bitching about a fire that happened over 15 years ago, with NO legitimate criticisms.
As typical of a troll, your channel has no content...
I am. But I also stayed at a Holiday Inn last night...
Actually we used to shop across the street at the former Mendon Country Gifts.
Looks like they had a severe water shortage.
I agree.. they were putting water on it at first.. looks like they had supply issues.. happens in older towns with old infrastructure..
I have a question for ya's. Who pays for the millions of gallons of water used to try to put this fire out? The business owner or the city? Or no one?
They wouldn't come close to using a million gallons on a fire like this. And since they're using tankers, its possible that they're using ponds or streams for a water source. Water is cheap, even municipal water. Taxpayers pay for the water though, which is nothing compared to what it costs for apparatus and equipment.
ffjsb Also at the beginning of the video they had a poor water supply. In my opinion that’s why the fire grew out of control. They must have established a sufficient water supply at some point.
Like why Bother?
What a dumb question.
Should call this "fire with little water".
You can't expect a building made of wood and cardboard to be saved in a fire. There's really nothing you can do once it gets a hold, apart from letting it burn out in a controlled way if possible.
We had a big restaurant fire here as well a couple of years ago. The building was also constructed from wood. And to make matters worse, it had a thatched roof. Absolutely nothing they could do about it, and there was literally nothing left of it afterwards.
Fortunately they were smart enough to rebuild it in concrete and stone!
This is a clip from that fire: ruclips.net/video/GPJqi1WqhgY/видео.html
Patrick Brookings thanks for the link to that crazy fire. It was hopeless before the fire dept arrived. Looked like it was more than the restaurant on fire but it was hard to tell with all the flames. Fires in your country sure attract crowds. I would have been one of the crowd if I was there. What country was this?
@@doreenblatz2440 Thanks for the reply. This is in Odessa, Ukraine. It was in the middle of Summer, very dry as we tend to have hot Summers here. And as it is a popular tourist destination at the Black Sea, and the restaurant is right by the sea, that explains the crowd. It was caused when there was a flash flame from a grill, and the thatched roof caught fire. As you said, it was a hopeless situation even before the fire services arrived, spreading extremely fast. It's quite a large property with multiple buildings. Nearly everything went up in flames. There was also a small playing area for kids, as well as a tiny zoo. Such a shame, it was a really nice looking and cosy place. But fortunately nobody got hurt. They even saved all the animals as well.
Within about a year they rebuilt it at the same location.
The day after: ruclips.net/video/H5VXhGmgrNM/видео.html
And what it looks like now: ruclips.net/video/ZunPx8nXe_0/видео.html
Patrick Brookings thank you so much. Its a rare chance to see the aftermath of a fire but to also see what they replaced it with was wonderful. I was happy to hear no one died in the fire including the animals. What a beautiful resort they have replaced it with. Thank You for taking the time to show me. ❤️
@@doreenblatz2440 Thank you, you're most welcome :)
I have to say though, while this fire was a very unfortunate accident, fire safety regulations here tend to be a big joke. Thanks to a lot of corruption and all that.
Only a few months ago there was big fire in a budget hotel which apparently didn't care less about fire safety. Many rooms didn't even have windows, smoke alarms did not work, and so on. Sadly, 9 people died in that fire :(
Patrick Brookings that’s terrible. Time for the government to get new safety regulations in place. I would never sleep in a hotel without windows, scary place.
I had heard things were not done properly...
oh how true
scott schwendenman I had heard you don’t know shit
They have (had) a great clam chowder.
Ok so obviously there was an issue with the water supply, i get it, but damn there ractics are horrible. The entire second floor is fully involved, fire from floor to ceiling, half of the roof has collapsed exposing the bulk of the fire and these clowns are watering down the roof, put the water on the fire!!!!!
Take into account, this was a old building, with many additions put on, over the years. Fighting a fire like this in addition to a shortage of water supply, spells doom to the structure.
Yup. Poor line placement throughout the video.
They did a half baked interior attack. They are thorough though. Even the single story extension burned up.
What caused the fire?
One of the better building fires posted here on RUclips.
well they did save the car park
Jason Cambridge 😂😂😂
Welcome to Tankerland...well involved structure fire + not enough water for an effective attack = total loss.
Yep... For a fire like this, to need about, 8 tankers per pump.
That poor building what did it ever do to you.
And that's the end of that.
At 20:08 it looks like that's an old Dodge??
Yep, that would be a Dodge. I'm thinking that would maybe have been a 60's vintage fuel truck, possibly from an airport, which would make it overweight if hauling water.
I am surprised insurance will insure a business with no fire protection capability?
Looks like they didn't have a good water supply . Trucking it in
these guys didn't stand a chance 🙁
Let it Burn!
I'm sorry but as I firefighter these guys need more training.......ALOT MORE TRAINING.
With limited water at the start would you advance in to that building without a charged line
@@philipmarsland6265 not a chance in hell ;-)
Came here for the RUclips professional firefighters
You dont like Volunteer firefighters
It’s amazing how smart and capable utube firefighters are
@15:00 I would have called for a bulldozer and leveled what was left then it be easier to put out the fire. Tinder conditions, water shortage and no hydrant infrastructure sealed the fate of this business dwelling.
You might as well just let that building burn it's coming down anyway stop wasting water that it's already
Was this Mendon,N.Y.? Or where?.
Mendon, MA.
Kat the Foxtaur ,thank you as it looks very much like Mendon,N.Y.
Wow! That was a hell of a fight they had on that one. Man I feel so bad for the owners.
i see no big hurry there!!!
WTF am I watching ????? These guys are clueless. What an embarrassment.
The guy on the line at 11:45 on had NO CLUE wtf he was doing. It was like he didn't want to put water on the fire...
Charlie the guy responding to this video has no clue on anything about firefighting, it was like oooh watch me come in and be an ass
Yup. Pretty simple concept, put the water on the fire, not spray it over the building.
Aw, God thank you so much for all the fire fighters to rescue people lives, out there. That my State. I know this thing took place far off, where i am located. God rescuse all those people inside that house do God. I dont know even know the place i am just writing. Later on I understood that the place is a resturant or what. I dont know if people are threre or any thing. That a fire. The life of the recuersi was praying for them so nothing should happen to none of them. That all.
looks like they had water problems
Great video
So I take it all this was was a controlled burn less for the insurance company to deal with ??
no water again. hydrant issues plaguing these small towns. Chief asking all the right questions, got no water
That's the only barber shop in town. sad after thought springler system.
I almost thought I recall hearing it didn't have a sprinkler system at all! Or maybe there was one but I think the building was old so it would have been a retrofit anyway.
Plaguing? You have any idea what it would cost to install an infrastructure from scratch? Neither do I but I would hazard a guess that it has lots of zeros.
No water anywhere...?
At 5:20 it looked like that fire fighter had to pee really badly...
All I see is flat hoses laying on the ground
mtnviper1963 all I see is another armchair firefighter who knows nothing
what wrong no deck guns if so why did they not use them lots of fire
Lack of water at the time
Finally! After 11 minutes they found a hose that 5 or 6 firemen? could play with! That chief needs some remedial training on how to fight a fire!
Lousy firemen.
The fire was through the roof when they got there so why hurry
How do you know? They were already on scene when the vid started. Not a pre arrival vid, so you cant be sure of that
Tanta tecnologia e um foguinho virou fogão e queimou a porra toda..que coisa...
someone should be suffering in the can for this catastrophe!!
you tried but no hydrants that's sucks but good job valiant efort
My grandfather would take me there for a banana split after the barber shop when I was a little boy. They had good food there too.
No master stream...no coordination on ground attack lines...3 stooges fight a fire!
U realize this was 2004 right?
They didn't have the water for a master stream at first, the average tanker holds 3000 gallons, a master stream even back then would be using 1000-1500 gallons a minute, so that a tanker every 2 minutes just for 1 stream, never mind the hand lines.
Dave Turpchinoff no brains before commenting, no dick I bet... another asshole armchair firefighter
Very sad
OH OF COURSE WAIT UNTIL THE BUILDING COLLAPSES THEN USE THE LADDER TRUCKS TO PUT OUT THE ASHES, GOOD THINKING...
Allen Heasley wtf do you know? Are you a firefighter?
Too bad that's not the rest of Massachusetts
Jake Pawl roflmao, you just made me spray my coffee all over my iPad 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
time to go back to the fire academy
What academy?
Why do they just stand about doing nothing. I know, lets wait until it gets out of control before putting any water on it.
There was no hydrant infrastructure there. They had to tanker it in
Beats me!
That is crying shame...guess no more nice meals
Akhirnya ludes jg,,
Remind me to never call these department to my home fire.bet i can do a better job
Rodney McCowan I hope you fight fire better than your grammar skills 😂
If you look at the date of this incident, 2004, most of the armchair fire chiefs on here weren't even out of diapers.
Rodney McCowan you must be awfully stupid to have to be reminded not to call the fire dept. since you seem to think you know so much why would you need a reminder? Seriously you of all people will need to call!
Rodney McCowan remind us never to ask you for a comment to a video you gave no clue about! Dick wad
Low on water or not they attacked too late on the backside i guess.
They had to do bag operations. That's why it took so long to finally attack.
It's pretty obvious there's no hydrants there