Town Administrator Mallory Aronstein invites community members to attend an upcoming listening session regarding proposed improvements to Swansea Mall Drive. Members of the business community, as well as residents and visitors, are welcome and urged to attend.
SWANSEA — Chief Eric Hajder reports that the Swansea Fire Department extinguished a fire at a home on the corner of Bark St. and Houlton St. on Friday afternoon.
On Friday, May 26, at 3:48 p.m. Swansea Fire received multiple calls reporting a structure fire at 9 Houlton St.
Swansea Fire Department Car 2 reported heavy smoke visible en route to the scene. Car 1 arrived first on the scene and reported heavy fire conditions in the raised ranch-style home.
All occupants of the home were out of the building by the time firefighters arrived on the scene. Occupants were evacuated by neighbors, as they were initially unaware of the fire. The fire was burning up an exterior wall and into a ceiling space.
Crews made an aggressive interior attack with multiple hand lines until conditions forced the evacuation of the structure.
Firefighters remained on the scene performing extensive overhaul and the scene was cleared just prior to 8 p.m.
Four Swansea engines, Ladder 1 and Rescue 1 responded to the scene. An additional engine from the Somerset Fire Department was brought to the scene and Swansea Ambulance Corps responded to standby. The Rehoboth Fire Department and Warren Fire Department provided station coverage during the incident.
The home is uninhabitable as a result of the fire, and the damage is estimated to be approximately $250,000. Seven residents and several pets were displaced. There were no injuries reported. The American Red Cross is assisting the residents.
The origin and cause of the fire were jointly investigated by the Swansea Fire Department and State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit assigned to the State Fire Marshal’s Office and determined to be accidental and started with an electrical appliance in the home’s basement bathroom.
Chief Hajder would like to thank Swansea firefighters as well as the mutual aid partners that assisted in this incident.
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The Town of Swansea announces that Avian influenza has been detected in a sample of dead wild birds in town.
SWANSEA — Chief Marc Haslam reports that the Swansea Police Department arrested three men and one juvenile this past weekend on charges related to the misuse of a paintball gun.
COREY DECHAINE, AGE 18, OF MALBOROUGH; DEREK RAPOSO, AGE 19, OF FALL RIVER; AUSTIN HOBBS, AGE 21, OF FALL RIVER; and A 17-YEAR-OLD MALE JUVENILE were arrested and charged with:
On Saturday, April 15 at 1:21 a.m., Swansea Police received a report of shots fired at a motor vehicle on Route 6 in the area of Bushee Road. The caller stated that the suspect vehicle was a white Subaru WRX, traveling West on Route 6.
Swansea Police officers located the suspect vehicle in Seekonk a short while later and conducted a motor vehicle stop.
While searching the vehicle during the stop, officers located and seized several paintball guns. As a result of the search and subsequent investigation, DECHAINE, RAPOSO, HOBBS and the 17-YEAR-OLD MALE JUVENILE were arrested without incident.
DECHAINE, RAPOSO and HOBBS were transported to the Bristol County House of Correction’s Ash St. Jail in New Bedford. The 17-YEAR-OLD MALE JUVENILE was transported to a juvenile detention facility in Framingham.
DECHAINE, RAPOSO and HOBBS are scheduled to be arraigned today at the Fall River Justice Center, and the 17-YEAR-OLD MALE JUVENILE is scheduled to be arraigned today at Juvenile Court.
The victim of the shooting was not seriously injured and declined transportation to a hospital.
These are allegations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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Town Administrator Mallory Aronstein, Town Administrator Mark Ullucci and Swansea/Somerset Public Health Nurse Desiree Harding, on behalf of the towns of Somerset and Swansea, invite residents and members of the public to participate in the upcoming blood drive hosted with the American Red Cross on May 1.
Town Administrator Mallory Aronstein invites community members to attend an upcoming meeting to learn more about the development of the Town of Swansea’s Hazard Mitigation Plan.
Town Administrator Mallory Aronstein would like to share information with Swansea residents about the upcoming citizen’s petition to create a Marijuana Establishments Overlay District which will be voted on at a Special Town Meeting.
SWANSEA — Town Administrator Mallory Aronstein, Town Administrator Mark Ullucci and Swansea/Somerset Public Health Nurse Desiree Harding, on behalf of the towns of Somerset and Swansea, invite residents and members of the public to participate in the seven upcoming blood drives hosted together with the American Red Cross.
Donors must register for a donation time online ahead of the clinic they wish to attend. Those wishing to register can click on the hyperlinks for the day they wish to attend.
Registration will open for the clinics hosted in September through December at a later date.
The Somerset Council on Aging building, 115 Wood St.
Anyone 17 years old and older can donate blood, so long as they are in good health and weigh at least 110 pounds. There is no upper age limit for donating, so long as the individual is feeling healthy and well and meets the other criteria.
In Massachusetts, a 16-year-old may donate blood as well but they’re required to have a consent form signed by a parent or legal guardian prior to donating.
Blood donations help save lives, and are desperately needed. To learn more about the serious need for blood supply donations, see the American Red Cross donation information page.
Residents wishing to donate blood are encouraged to sign up sooner than later to ensure appointments are still available. Appointments are made on a first-come, first-serve basis.
There are three ways to schedule a blood donation appointment for this drive:
Those giving blood can use RapidPass to complete a pre-donation reading and health history online before arriving at the blood drive site. This can save several minutes at the appointment.
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SWANSEA —Chief Eric Hajder is pleased to announce that the Swansea Fire Department was awarded $4,381 for the Fiscal Year 2023 Student Awareness of Fire Education (S.A.F.E.) Program and $2,277 for the Senior SAFE Program by the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services.
The funding gives the department the opportunity to work directly with students in schools and seniors to educate them about fire safety and prevention. Each program is tailored to the common needs of each age group and includes general fire prevention reminders and safe practices in the home. Lessons feature many safety topics including steps to take if a fire alarm goes off.
The lessons taught in the school-based program are in line with the standards of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Health Curriculum Frameworks and the state Department of Fire Services Curriculum Planning Guidebook.
Twenty-seven years after the introduction of the S.A.F.E program within schools, the rate of annual child fire deaths has decreased by 78%, according to the state’s Department of Fire Services, which administers the two programs.
To learn more about the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services’ S.A.F.E program, click here.
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SWANSEA — Town Administrator Mallory Aronstein and Town Clerk Diane Pelland wish to provide residents with information regarding how to vote early in the April 2023 Town Election.
The 2023 Town Election will have two options available for voting, in addition to voting on Election Day, Monday, April 10. Polls open at noon and close at 8 p.m.
Early voting by mail:
Early voting in-person:
Any resident who is unsure of their voter status should contact the Town Clerk’s Office to verify their information prior to voting.
The deadline to register to vote is Friday, March 31, by 5 p.m. in the Town Clerk’s Office.
More information on the Town Clerk’s office can be found at swanseama.gov.
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