Dedham fire destroys sauna on Route 1

DEDHAM – A structure fire Friday night on Route 1A destroyed a sauna that a man built 34 years ago, according to the local fire chief.

Dedham Fire Chief Frank Myatt said Sunday that the owner, whose name he could not remember, had used the sauna and gone inside his home when the sauna caught fire. The blaze was reported after a neighbor noticed it and brought it to the owner’s attention, he said.

Myatt said he thinks the fire was started by a “dirty” chimney in the 8-by-12 foot sauna building. He said the sauna was far enough away from the owner’s home and two nearby barns that the other structures were not damaged.

It took a few firefighters about 10 minutes to get the fire under control, he said. The cost of replacing the sauna, which was insured, probably would be between $2,500 and $3,000, according to the chief.