(Courtesy of Gloucester Daily
Times) 
By DANIEL LISTWA
and JOHN ENOS
Times staff
Firefighters quickly extinguished a fire in the attic of 15 Millett St. last night.The fire began around 8:45 p.m. when heat from a wood stove pipe ignited the attic of the two-story house, owned by Lucy and Jose Silva. "The pipe ran from the stove out the roof," Fire Deputy Chief Stephen Aiello said. "There was not enough room between the pipe and the roof."
Lucy Silva was home with her two children when the fire started. She smelled smoke and inspected the house. The pipe, which ran from the basement to the roof, passes through her son Kyle's room. Upon inspecting the room, Lucy heard strange sounds coming from the pipe. Jose came home soon after. The couple continued investigating the smoke and were eventually drawn to the attic where they discovered a small fire. Their call to the Fire Department came in just after 9 p.m.
A dozen firefighters, two engines, one ladder truck and one rescue truck from the Central and West Gloucester stations were dispatched to the Silva home. "The fire was just starting to spread when we got here," Aiello said, adding his men could see flames beginning to spread with the wind when they arrived.
Firefighters ran a hose up to roof from Ladder 2 and another up a 24-foot extension ladder from a hydrant on Warner Street. Other firefighters used axes and chainsaws to cut open the roof and pull down the second-floor ceiling to release heat and expose the blaze.
They also used salvage covers to protect the second floor. The protective covers reduce water damage to a minimum.Last year, a fire consumed a house at 38 Millett St., partly because water pipes in the area provided inadequate water pressure. After that fire, the city did extensive work on the water system in that area. Aiello said the Fire Department had no problems with water pressure last night.
Aiello estimated the damage to the roof and attic at $10,000. The deputy chief said his men took less than an hour to put out the fire. "We got here just in the nick of time. If it had happened in the early morning, it probably would have been a lot worse."
The smoke detectors never went off because the fire started above them, Aiello said.
After the fire was extinguished, the Silva family stood around in their living room, leaning against the furniture and staring up the stairs where firefighters were cleaning up.
Jose Silva went upstairs to inspect the fire at one point. "It looked OK," he said. "It could have been a lot worse." The Silvas said they have insurance and think it will pay for the damage. "We're hoping," Lucy said. The family stayed with relatives last night and returned home this morning.
