Family Displaced by House Fire

Albert Gambardella was surrounded by friends and family as he stood outside his Shaw Drive house this morning.

The sun was shining and the neighborhood was quiet. But just nine hours earlier his house was engulfed in flames and the bright lights of sirens cut through the dark, stillness of night.

Gambardella's daughter and mother were sleeping when the fire broke out at about 12:30 a.m. near an exterior light on the rear of the house at 34 Shaw Drive, according to Deputy Fire Chief David Marcarelli.

The daughter awoke to the sound of crackling, Marcarelli said. She went to investigate and saw flames near the back of the house. She immediately woke up her grandmother and the two rushed out of the house.

The smoke detectors went off just as they were on their way out, Marcarelli said, noting that the fire and smoke made their way into the home through soffets and the attic, resulting in the delay in triggering the smoke detectors.

When firefighters arrived, flames were showing from the roof of the one-story ranch. They quickly set up and worked to extinguish the blaze.

Gambardella, a 50-year resident of town, arrived home to find his house on fire.

He had nothing but the utmost respect and praise for firefighters and their hard work to put the fire out before it consumed his house.

"They got a handshake, each and every one of them," Gambardell said of the firefighters.

The department responded with Engine 1, Emergency 1 and Truck 1 from headquarters; Engine 5 and Engine 7 from Company 4; and Engine 2 from Montowese. They were on the scene until about 3 a.m.

As for the cause, Marcarelli said, "It appears to have started in an outside light fixture."

Investigators have not determined if it was an electrical problem or, potentially, a bird's nest that caught fire.

Marcarelli said damage to the house was extensive. "They're going to be out for a while," he said.

And so Gambardella is now beginning the process of rebuilding. Many of his belongings were ruined in the fire and the house is not livable.

This morning, with family and friends by his side, he was trying to figure out where his mom, daughter and he would be living.