Fire-fighters cut holes in wrong house

Fire-fighters in Massachusetts drove to a vacant house on July 17th, cut holes in the roof and walls, and broke windows to test their tools and their proficiency only to discover it was the wrong house.

They were supposed to be two blocks away at a house slated for demolition.

The owners of the damaged home now want the town to pay for the mistake, but they are trying to keep a sense of humour about it.

“Accidents happen,'' said Jeffrey Luu, who owns the house in Braintree with his brother, Clayton. “Luckily, nobody got hurt,'' added Clayton Luu.

The home had been vacant since an electrical fire last year left a scorch mark up one side. The knee-high grass had not been cut in several weeks.

The owners were planning a renovation of the house just not this much of one.

The fire department is conducting an internal investigation, Deputy Chief John Donahue said in a statement, but officials otherwise remained tight-lipped and red-faced about the incident.

Meanwhile, the house where the fire-fighters were supposed to train was demolished later on the same day as scheduled.