Amazon driver delivers package to smoky garage and doesn’t call 911, owner says

A Massachusetts family is wondering why an Amazon driver delivered a package to their Medfield home but didn’t call 911 when they found smoke billowing from trash bins next to the garage where they left the package. The fire quickly spread to the home and burned for hours before a passerby alerted 911. The incident occurred at the McArdle family home on Saturday. The family returned from the Cape to find their house filled with smoke, water and foam. “We came home to a house full of smoke, water and foam,” Peter McArdle said. The fire started in the trash bins next to the garage. McArdle believes the fire was caused by combustible materials discarded by workers renovating the house. “Unfortunately, the material they disposed of was combustible,” McArdle said. Surveillance video from McArdle’s home shows an Amazon driver arriving 20 minutes after the first signs of smoking. The video shows the driver opened the garage, walked through the smoke, placed the package and then left without alerting anyone. “It’s a little disturbing to know that this could have been avoided,” McArdle said. “If you see a fire, maybe call 911 or the fire department before continuing with your next delivery.” It was another three and a half hours before a passerby noticed the flames and called 911. Fire crews from 10 towns spent four hours extinguishing the fire. The damage to the house was extensive, and the Amazon package ended up a soggy, smoky mess like the rest of the house. When the McArdles contacted Amazon about the incident, they were met with resistance. “The customer service lady said I spoke to two managers, and they are not willing to take her call because the fire was not her fault,” McArdle said. “Again, it wasn’t about blaming, it was actually more of an educational piece. Like, ‘Hey, maybe you can use this information to teach your drivers a little better, if you see something, say something, especially a fire ‘.'”When WCVB contacted Amazon directly about the incident, the company provided this written statement: “We are attempting to contact the customer to apologize for their initial interaction with our Customer Service team. We encourage drivers to report it. about suspected activity and we are investigating this incident.”