Fire causes significant damage to Melrose home

MELROSE, Mass. — A house on Goss Avenue in Melrose caught fire Sunday afternoon. No one is hurt, but the damage is extensive.

“A lot of heat damage and smoke damage on the first floor. Significant amount of heat and fire and water damage on the second floor,” said Melrose Fire Captain Peter Grant.

Grant says the fire actually started on the back porch.

“It was a fire on the exterior of the building on the porch. That extended up into the eaves of the two and a half story wood frame into the attic,” said Grant.

Two neighbors say the fire started with a propane grill.

Fires caused by home grills are fairly common. The National Fire Protection Association says in a recent four-year period, it tracked nearly 9,000 grill fires, the vast majority of them involving gas grills.

Chief says the reasons for those fires includes having the grill too close to the house or other combustibles, not adequately cleaning a grill and leaving the grill unattended.

Bill Kaliris lives nearby. He took cellphone videos as firefighters from several towns worked to knock the flames down.

“You don't see stuff happen around here like that. And just a terrible tragedy,” said Kaliris.

The fire captain says the fire is still under investigation.

Cox Media Group