Modern Tech helps Wayne’s Volunteer Firefighters Find a Fire ‘Hidden’ in the Walls of A Wayne Home

WAYNE, NJ – Wayne’s bravest was up-and-at-‘em early on Friday with a call that came in before 8:30am. Smoke was coming from somewhere and the smell of fire had residents on Birch Court in Wayne calling for help. The volunteers of Wayne’s Fire Department responded, saw smoke, but couldn’t find the fire until they brought out their Thermal Imaging Camera…d

The call came in around 8:20am on Friday, April 26, 2024. A house on Birch Court in Wayne was filling with smoke and the residents had evacuated. Wayne police officers arrived on scene and confirmed a “working fire.”

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Wayne Fire Companies #1, #2 and #5 responded, with Chief Mike Payne of #5 coming in as incident commander. When he arrived on scene, he said that there was a “decent smoke condition” coming out of the [open] garage, and…

“We could see smoke coming from behind the siding,” he said. “So, we knew that the fire was most likely in the walls,” said Payne.

Volunteers from Company #4 were then called in on a second alarm.

Payne was right about the fire being “in the walls,” but even knowing that didn’t make it easier, and the Chief of #5 admitted that the fire had been “difficult” to find. However, modern technology saved them some time. Using a thermal-imaging camera, the volunteers were able to see where the heat was concentrated and located the fire.

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“[The fire] was hidden in a wall behind a wood burning stove,” explained Payne. “So, it was quite difficult to locate at first. But once we located it, it was a very quick knock down.”

Prior to the use of this technology, firefighters would feel the walls, searching for higher temperatures.

“We were able to use that [technology] to locate where we thought the fire was,” he said. “And when they opened up the wall, that's where the fire was. It was burning in the wall, in between the sheetrock - so it was hidden. You wouldn't be able to see it unless you had the thermal imaging camera. Or you waited long enough for [the fire] to come out from somewhere.”

Once the walls were opened, the fire was readily visible between the sheetrock. According to Payne, the fire was “relatively small,” and quickly extinguished. But things might have escalated quickly without Wayne’s bravest responding as quickly as they did.

“It could’ve been a whole lot worse if the residents weren’t home,” said Chief of #5. “Or if they hadn’t called us so quickly.”

How did the fire get in between the walls?

Payne said, “The fire is under investigation,” and refused to speculate on the possible cause. So, the Wayne Fire Bureau took over and looking for a cause.

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