Family Escapes From House Fire On Pine Crest Drive

A man and his two children escaped unharmed from a structure fire on Pine Crest Drive Thursday night before the Nantucket Fire Department brought the blaze under control.

The fire was reported just before 10 p.m. by a passerby who called 911. Inside the home, the man and his two children were sleeping when the fire broke out, according to Nantucket Fire Department Chief Michael Cranson.

"The fire alarm went off and woke them up," Cranson said. "He did a quick search, discovered the fire, grabbed his two kids, and was able to exit the home. Our crews showed up shortly after that."

Firefighters arrived to find the south side of the house at 8 Pine Crest Drive fully engulfed in flames. Approximately 15 full-time firefighters and five call firefighters arrived at the scene, bringing two engines, a ladder truck, an ambulance, and a pick-up truck, and were able to quickly knock down the fire before it could destroy the rest of the house. 

The fire started on the outside of the home, Cranson said, and the cause is under investigation.

"We're not sure exactly what started it, but it went up the whole side of the house, caused a window to fail, and got inside the house," Cranson said. "There's major damage to that side of the home, and a set of stairs that go up to the second floor was destroyed. Inside the house, there was moderate damage from fire, smoke, and water."

The fire was extinguished, and all NFD firefighters cleared the scene just before midnight.