ATTLEBORO, MASS. (WHDH) - One Attleboro firefighter is hospitalized in serious condition and several others who recently tested positive for COVID-19 have been told to quarantine after the department was hit by an outbreak.
Eleven members of the Attleboro Fire Department, including nine firefighters and two dispatchers, have been infected by the virus, according to Mayor Paul Heroux and Attleboro Fire Chief Scott Lachance.
Most of the infected department members are “asymptomatic or have mild symptoms,” but one firefighter has “become very ill” and is in serious condition at Rhode Island Hospital, Heroux and Lachance said in a news release.
The outbreak was said to be “largely isolated” to one shift at the Union Street station.
The entire department, including all stations, have since been professionally sanitized and employees continue to be aggressively tested. Air filtration systems are also being installed.
There has been no disruption to the department’s ability to provide emergency services, officials said.
“I have every confidence that this situation is under control,” Heroux said.
The department is currently working with the city health officials to conduct contact tracing and take precautions to keep residents safe.
Attleboro has recorded 60 positive cases in the last two weeks and the city is now among 23 “high-risk” communities in Massachusetts.
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