While many were attending the funeral Mass of a fallen brother in Easton Saturday, Monroe firefighters battled house and garage fires at home.
Shortly after 1 p.m., fire broke out at a home on Shelton Road (Route 110) at the Monroe/Shelton border. It was quickly contained by crews from the Monroe and White Hills volunteer fire departments and there were no injuries.
White Hills firefighters were covering Monroe Fire Station One on Route 110, so its firefighters could attend the funeral of Easton Fire Lt. Russell Neary, who was killed in the line of duty during the height of Storm Sandy.
The house fire originated in the rear of the structure and partially extended inside. Firefighters overhauled parts of the dining room, kitchen and attic to ensure the fire did not spread.
Fire Marshall Bill Davin is investigating the cause. Damage was limited to approximately $7,500.
Monroe Fire Department spokesman Kevin Catalano believes the resident can stay in the house once the rear of it is boarded up.
A Garage Fire On Crescent
Firefighters then responded to a fire in a garage on Crescent Place in Stepney at around 5:50 p.m. Stepney and Monroe firefighters made quick work of the fire, which appeared to have originated near a wood burning stove.
In between those calls, firefighters handled two other emergency calls on Greenfield Hill Road and Fan Hill Road.
Amid the busy Saturday of calls, one Monroe Engine was staffed at Easton fire headquarters during the day, so that all their firefighters could attend the funeral. That crew also responded to some calls while in Easton.
All told, volunteer firefighters handled approximately 60 calls this week, most of which were related to the storm — including several electrical issues in homes as power was restored, carbon monoxide detector alarms and arcing power lines.
