Saugus fires make for a busy holiday

SAUGUS-Firefighters were kept busy New Year’s Day chasing down two small but curious blazes.Fire Chief James Blanchard said firefighters responded to a small fire in a bathroom at Stop & Shop on Route 1 south.”It was vandalism I’m sure,” Blanchard said. “It wasn’t bad.”Later, firefighters responded to another small fire on Grandview Avenue that was slightly more intriguing.”Someone had left a radio on the stove and the stove was later turned on,” Blanchard said.The flames melted the plastic of the radio, which then set the hood over the stove on fire. Blanchard said flames burned through the hood and lit the overhead cabinets on fire. The fire was contained to the kitchen and no one was hurt.”Their smoke detector went off so that was a good thing,” Blanchard said. “But I don’t know why the radio was on the stove.”Both fires were doused in short order with no reported injuries.