Christmas Tree Likely Caused Fire At Middleboro Home

MIDDLEBORO (CBS) – Middleboro firefighters were battling the third fire in downtown Middleboro in the last 36 hours. The fire chief said it does not appear suspicious.

On Thursday night a home on Wareham Street went up in flames, likely from a Christmas tree on the first floor.

"He was home playing in his room and he was like daddy there's a fire truck right outside," neighbor Peter Gilmore said.

The Gilmores live next door and caught video of the flames right as the fire started before six o'clock. Soon it spread to the office building on the other side of the house.

"I just feel terrible for the people that live in there," Gilmore said.

The family got out safely, for a few minutes they sheltered at a hair salon across the street where through the door they could see the flames take over their house.

"There's a young boy that lives there so he was definitely distraught," said Sarah Genatossio, who works in the salon. "Definitely chaos. We had the family who lives in the bottom apartment actually came in here for a little bit and we just kind of helped them calm down and gave them some water."

With at least six extra departments on scene to put out the flames that kept popping up, it was an all out effort, two days into what felt like non-stop fires in the area.

"The firefighters have been doing an unbelievable job I couldn't ask for any more out of them," said Middleboro Fire Chief Lance Benjamino.

The fire chief believes a Christmas tree on the first floor of the home was the source of the fire but the fire marshal is on scene investigating an official cause.