Scenes From the Wilmington High School Mock Accident

Ahead of their prom, Wilmington High School students gathered to watch a mock accident and take a moment to reflect on the dangers of impaired driving.

  Wilmington High School students gathered on Tuesday afternoon to watch a scenario play out in which six of their classmates were involved in a mock car accident precipitated by drunk driving.  One of the students, senior Ling Zhong, was the one fatality of the mock accident. Senior Jack Campbell portrayed the drunk driver in the accident.   Members of the Wilmington Fire Department and Wilmington Police Department also participated in the mock accident, using the jaws of life to accurately demonstrate the actions taken by first responders at the scene of car wreck. 

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Kirsten

9:19 am on Friday, May 17, 2013

Everybody, especially stubborn high school KIDS (emphasis on KIDS) needs life lessons. These children have heard at least 16 years of their parents telling them not to do this and not to do that. Telling them to be safe and responsible is going to go in one ear and out the other like so many other things parents have told their children. This has an impact. It's visually disturbing. It sheds …   more ›

Brush Fire Knocked Down on Salem Street

According to scanner reports, flames broke out just after 8 p.m. and involved a tire pile as well.

According to scanner reports, Wilmington firefighters were battling a large brush fire on Salem Street just after 8 p.m. on Monday night. Initial calls came in just before 8:30 p.m., reporting a large amount of flames at 900 Salem Street. Scanner transmissions indicated that the fire spread to a tire pile as well. Multiple mutual aid crews also reportedly responded to the scene, where heavy smoke could be spotted. At about 8:50 p.m., command indicated that the main body of the fire was knocked down. Just after 9 p.m., Deputy Fire Chief Rick McClellan said the fire was nothing major, but that a pile of tires and mattresses that were illegally dumped caught fire. He added that the fire was knocked down and crews were just wetting it down. …

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Head-On Crash Claims Life Near The Intersection of Route 125 and 28

Wilmington and Andover first responders have been responding to a serious incident near the Andover/Wilmington/North Reading border.

UPDATE 12:07 a.m. State Police are indicating that the exact cause of the crash has yet to be determined and remains under investigation. UPDATE 9:51 p.m.  There is at least one confirmed fatality from the head-on crash according to the Eagle Tribune. Wilmington Patch will have more information as it becomes available. ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Following another serious accident earlier in the evening nearby, first responders are responding to a serious head-on collision near the border of North Reading, Wilmington and Andover. Initial reports indicate that one of the two individuals involved in the crash was trapped in their vehicle, which occurred shortly before 8:30 p.m.  Injured parties extricated from the crash, which included a pickup truck …

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Van Fire Extinguished at Knights of Columbus

At the same time as Avalon Oaks was up in flames, firefighters received a call for a van on fire in the Knights of Columbus parking lot.

There wasn't much down time for firefighters in Wilmington on Friday. At the same time that flames were shooting through the roof of an Avalon Oaks apartment building, firefighters received a call for a van on fire in the Knights of Columbus parking lot - and all in the middle of a blizzard. Flames destroyed a building on Avalon Drive, reportedly due to a gas grill on a second story balcony, during an incident that began at about 4 p.m. and lasted throughout the evening.  Meanwhile, at about 6 p.m., dispatch received a call for a van that was fully engulfed in flames. Because Wilmington firefighters were engaged with the Avalon Oaks fire, the Lowell Fire Department put out the van fire, according to scanner reports.

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Red Cross Assisting 10 Adults, 3 Children After Fire

Crews from Wilmington, North Reading and Burlington are responding to the scene.

Update at 10:19 p.m.: According to Red Cross Communications Manager Ashley Studley, the organization will continue to assist impacted families throughout the weekend with a hotel stay before meeting with them again to determine further needs. Studley said it's not clear how many total residents were displaced by the fire, but she said the Red Cross is assisting 10 adults and 3 children after Friday's fire that gutted the Avalon Oaks apartment building. Updated at 8:02 p.m.: While crews will likely be working through the night on Avalon Drive and multiple units have been destroyed, Wilmington Fire Lt. John Brown confirmed to Patch that all residents escaped the fire and are accounted for. Brown said there were no injuries as a result of the…

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Firefighters Train to Rescue One of Their Own [VIDEO]

Members of the Wilmington Fire Department ran intense training that focused on how to rescue a downed firefighter with limited visibility in dangerous conditions.

It’s a scenario that is every firefighter’s nightmare. But thanks to this week’s training, members of the Wilmington Fire Department will be prepared for the worst. Eighteen firefighters from Wilmington and one from Lexington worked Tuesday at the Whitefield School on Middlesex Ave. during a Rapid Intervention Team training session that simulates the rescue of a trapped firefighter. During the training, firefighters wore specified oxygen tanks and masks that were blacked out to simulate non-existent visibility. Teams of four used a fireproof rope to mark their path to the trapped firefighter and followed a team leader who used a thermal imaging camera to lead the way to a dummy in the back of the building. When the teams reached the dummy…

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You Ask... Patch Answers

Why Were Firefighters at the Whitefield School Tuesday?

There was a heavy firefighter presence on Middlesex Ave., and we've got the answer as to why that was.

Where there's smoke, there's fire. But what about where there's no smoke, but plenty of firefighters? There was a large amount of firefighters on scene Monday and Tuesday at the Whitefield School on Middlesex Ave., and several readers have asked what they were doing there. Close to 20 firefighters from Wilmington, one came from Lexington, have been on hand for training that simulates conditions where a firefighter is trapped in a smoke filled building. Teams of four entered the building and crawled to the downed firefighter while wearing blacked out masks and oxygen tanks. For complete video coverage of the training, check back with Wilmington Patch on Wednesday. Have a You Ask... Patch Answers question you'd like us to look into? E-mail …

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Stove Knob Leads to Avalon Oaks Gas Leak

A resident turned off their stove, but not all the way as the gas leak caused a New Year's Day evacuation at Avalon Oaks.

An improperly turned off gas stove led to the evacuation of a portion of Avalon Oaks on New Year’s Day. Firefighters were called to the area on Tuesday morning when a resident reported the smell of gas. Residents were evacuated from the building and the gas company shut off all lines in the complex to attempt to find the source of the leak. Deputy Fire Chief Rick McClellan said a bus arrived from Action Ambulance to keep residents warm during the evacuation while some waited nearby in their cars. With the gas shut off, workers went room by room testing levels. Eventually, it was discovered that the knob of a stove had been turned off, but not all the way. As a result, the flame on the stove turned off but the gas continued to pour out …

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Soda Machine Leak Forces Hazmat Incident

Several employees on Ballardvale Street complained of headaches and dizziness, forcing the building's evacuation.

Firefighters spent several hours with a Hazmat crew on Saturday afternoon after employees at a Ballardvale Street warehouse complained of a strange odor in the building. Deputy Fire Chief Rick McClellan said a call came in at about 1:10 p.m. on Saturday from 240 Ballardvale Street. Multiple employees were complaining of headaches and slight dizziness, prompting the call to the Fire Department. Three employees were evaluated at the scene but declined being transported to the hospital. Meanwhile, the regional Hazmat team arrived on scene and began searching for the source of the odor. Originally the crew believed a warehouse that produces cleaning supplies in another part of the building could have been the issue, but they quickly ruled that…

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North Street Homeowner Left With Nothing After Blaze

Crews razed the home after it was gutted by fire on Thursday, and neighbors hope to help raise money to help the homeowner rebuild.

The North Street home gutted by a Thursday fire is now nothing but an empty lot as firefighters continue to investigate what caused that devastating fire. Deputy Fire Chief Rick McClellan said the fire is not suspicious, but the cause of the flames has not yet been pinpointed. Crews worked until about 6 p.m. on Thursday demolishing what was left of the home after it was deemed unsafe. “It’s still undetermined,” said McClellan. “We’ve ruled out a lot of things, but nothing is conclusive. We do know that the fire is not considered suspicious.” Neighbors, meanwhile, have begun efforts to raise money for George Bradley, who is left without a place to live. He has been working with Red Cross representatives since being displaced by the fire. …

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