Less than a month after a fire sent contaminated smoke billowing throughout the Havenside elderly housing complex in Vineyard Haven, nearly all of the displaced residents have returned — though most of their belongings are gone forever.
Oak Bluffs firefighters were called to the scene at 9:08 p.m. when a witness reported a large explosion and flames billowing from the property, located off County Road and Pennsylvania avenue.
A witness saw smoke coming from a work van parked at 79 Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road around 9:15 p.m. Wednesday. The flames then spread to a second van and then to the building.
The proposal would have turned a trail in the Wapatequa Woods Reservation into a “firebreak,” meant to improve vehicle accessibility at the property in case of a wildfire. Officials felt the plan didn't fit the conditions of the property.
Dry conditions, flammable native plants and encroaching development make the state forest at the heart of Martha’s Vineyard highly susceptible to wildfire, and officials are urging homeowners to help mitigate the risks.
Oak Bluffs resident Charles (Adi) Uchendu was one of several Massachusetts firefighters who went to Quebec to help Canada with the out-of-control wildfires.
Charles Uchendu will spend the next two weeks working with Canadian firefighters to suppress the more than 100 fires that have been ravaging forests in the province since early this month.
