Aerial view of the area where Florence Street and Oak Street meet in Taunton, with a road running diagonally across the frame and a second road joining it from the upper left, bare trees and dry grass on a lot above the roads, and houses, driveways and parked cars below them
Florence Street and Oak Street in Taunton, in MassGIS aerial imagery from spring 2023. Image: MassGIS aerial imagery, 2023

TAUNTON Developing, 11:50 a.m. Nov. 11, 2026.

Taunton firefighters were sent to a reported brush fire in the area of Florence Street and Oak Street late Wednesday morning, and the fire had been put out before the first fire engine arrived, according to Taunton Fire Department radio traffic.

At about 11:08 a.m., dispatchers sounded the call for a brush fire at Florence Street and Oak Street and assigned Engine 1, and at about 11:10 a.m. they told Engine 1 it was responding to the area of Florence and Oak streets for a reported brush fire, adding that no exposures were reported, meaning no nearby buildings were reported to be threatened, the radio traffic shows.

At about 11:15 a.m., Engine 1 radioed that it was in the area. At about 11:19 a.m., the engine told dispatchers that the brush fire was put out prior to its arrival and that it was going to be clear and returning, according to the radio traffic.

The radio traffic did not say how large an area burned, what started the fire or who put it out. We will update this story if the Taunton Fire Department releases more information.

What we know

  • At about 11:08 a.m. Wednesday, Taunton dispatchers sent Engine 1 to a reported brush fire at Florence Street and Oak Street, according to Taunton Fire Department radio traffic.
  • At about 11:10 a.m., dispatchers told Engine 1 that no exposures were reported.
  • At about 11:19 a.m., Engine 1 radioed that the brush fire was put out before it arrived and that it was clearing and returning.

What we do not know yet

How large an area burned, what started the fire and who put it out.

Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.

Notes

Every fact comes from recordings of Taunton Fire Department radio traffic on the public OpenMHz Bristol County system, Taunton Fire talkgroup, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026, calls at 11:08:39, 11:10:20, 11:15:13 and 11:19:46 a.m., reviewed by South Coast 360. A fire heard on the department's own radio runs at once as a developing story, attributed to that radio traffic, and is updated as officials release more. The meeting point of Florence Street and Oak Street in Taunton was checked on OpenStreetMap. The story names no one and gives no house number.

Corrections

No corrections to this story. If something here is wrong, tell us. Every correction is dated on the story and listed in our public log.

Sources (4)
  1. Taunton Fire Department radio traffic, dispatch tone for Engine 1Public OpenMHz recording, Bristol County system, Taunton Fire talkgroup. Call at 11:08:39 a.m. Nov. 11, 2026.
  2. Taunton Fire Department radio traffic, dispatch to Engine 1Public OpenMHz recording, Bristol County system, Taunton Fire talkgroup. Call at 11:10:20 a.m. Nov. 11, 2026.
  3. Taunton Fire Department radio traffic, Engine 1 in the areaPublic OpenMHz recording, Bristol County system, Taunton Fire talkgroup. Call at 11:15:13 a.m. Nov. 11, 2026.
  4. Taunton Fire Department radio traffic, Engine 1 clearingPublic OpenMHz recording, Bristol County system, Taunton Fire talkgroup. Call at 11:19:46 a.m. Nov. 11, 2026.