ASHLAND -- A family of four people and two dogs escaped injuries when a fire tore through the basement of their Raymond Marchetti Street home early yesterday morning, firefighters said.
The fire broke out just before 6 a.m. yesterday in the
cellar of a single-family home at 20 Raymond Marchetti St., said Ashland Fire
Lt. Scott Boothby. Firefighters had the fire under control within a half-hour,
he said, and the cause is under investigation.
"The smoke detector is what made the
difference," Boothby said. "The detector woke them up, and then they
were able to get out the kids and the family pets."
Though the fire was confined to the basement, smoke
damaged the upstairs living area, Boothby said. The fire caused about $30,000
worth of damage, and the home was not inhabitable as of yesterday morning.
Boothby said the Southborough and Hopkinton fire
departments also responded to the fire, and that firefighters from Holliston
covered the Ashland fire station.