Edgartown firefighters responded Wednesday to a smoky, stubborn house fire at 38 Pinehurst Road. Smoke drifted out of roof vents and open windows as firefighters searched for the source.
The Fourth of July holiday weekend proved a busy time for Island first responders, who responded to several calls, including a fire in a downtown Edgartown restaurant Saturday morning.
Edgartown firefighters swiftly contained an upper-story fire at the Atlantic Restaurant at the foot of Main street Saturday morning. Deputy fire chief Alex Schaeffer was first on the scene along with Edgartown police officer Ryan Ruley.
Friday night capped a busy day for public safety officials around the Island. There were two fires and a major beach was closed to off-road vehicles as the Vineyard filled up with cars and people at the outset of the Fourth of July holiday.
The town of Edgartown has named Andrew Kelly to the position of assistant fire chief. Mr. Kelly will replace former assistant chief Scott Ellis, who announced his retirement this fall after 35 years of service to the volunteer fire department.
A woman passed out and drove a truck off the road Sunday morning, police said, with the truck stopping just short of hitting the Square Rigger restaurant.
They drive the engines, rescue people, put out fires and know CPR. They have to be prepared for anything — a car under water, a person in cardiac arrest, or a family trapped inside a burning building. Or it could be a false alarm. Meet the Island's call firefighters.
The Edgartown fire department has received a grant of more than $475,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The money will go toward upgrading the current cardiac monitoring equipment for all of the Island emergency medical services. The ambulances will now be supplied with advanced cardiac defibrillator monitors, he said, which will assist in transmitting patients who are having active heart attacks.
