Early video: Weymouth, Massachusetts second alarm. Also, town receives federal grant to bring back five firefighters.

The occupants escaped and one firefighter received a small burn to the face in this fire at 25 Sawyer Road in Weymouth, Massachusetts around 6:00 AM on Thursday. The two-alarm fire involved firefighters from Weymouth, Braintree and Quincy. There was a collapse of the house that you see part of at the end of this video. Local news reports the heat from the fire slightly damaged one of the fire engines parked 50-feet away. Here is part of the caption with the video from angryjournalist on YouTube:

Weymouth used to run 4 engines and 2 ladders. The night of this fire 2 engines and 1 ladder were in service with the first due engine out of service. The house was the last house on a dead end street with no other access.

Here are excerpts from an article by Christian Schiavone at PatriotLedger.com:

When firefighters reached the blaze at 25 Sawyer Road, it was already too late to save the home, Weymouth Fire Chief Robert Leary said.

“It had gotten into the house before we arrived,” Leary said of the fire, which started on a side porch. “There was really no stopping it.”

Initially, the firefighting effort was hampered by the malfunctioning of a valve connecting a fire hose to a hydrant. Leary said the outcome would have been the same even if there had been no delay in having adequate water.

Yesterday it was announced that a tw0-year $971,158 S.A.F.E.R. grant will soon bring back five firefighter/paramedics laid off last June. In two years Weymouth would be responsible for the salaries and benefits of the five. Here is more in a an article by Ed Baker at Wicked Local Weymouth:

The fire department has endured a series of budget cuts during the past eight years because of cutbacks in the town’s spending plans.

In 2003, the fire department eliminated 12 positions through retirements or attrition, and the reductions forced a ladder truck to be removed from service.

In July, 2008, eight more positions were eliminated through retirements and attrition.

The reductions forced another engine truck to be removed from service and the reassignment of personnel at Station 2 on Broad Street to firehouses on Winter Street, Ralph Talbot Street, and North Street.