VIDEO: Firefighters from the Beacon Falls Fire Department successfully rescued nineteen people and a dog from the Brookside Inn Restaurant during Sunday’s severe flooding.
On Sunday, the restaurant was surrounded by five to ten inches of water.
With Oxford fire crews occupied with other emergency calls, the Beacon Hose Fire Department intervened using an aerial approach.
Fire Marshal Cal Brennan led the operation, deploying a 107-foot aerial ladder to evacuate those trapped inside. The rescue operation was further complicated by a leaking propane tank in the building.
Despite these challenges, Brennan described the experience as one of his most memorable rescues.
“Everything went seamless because of everybody’s dedication and training. We train every Monday night. We didn’t have a lot of communications, we just said here’s our plan, this is plan A, let’s go do it,” said Brennen.