Amazon driver delivers package to smoky garage, fails to call 911, homeowner says

A Massachusetts family is questioning why an Amazon driver delivered a package to their Medfield home but failed to call 911 when she encountered smoke billowing from the trash bins next to the garage where she left the package. The fire quickly spread to the house and burned for hours before a passer-by alerted 911.The incident occurred at the McArdle family's 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 filled with smoke and water and foam," said Peter McArdle.The fire originated from 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 that they disposed of was combustible," McArdle said.Surveillance video from the McArdle's home shows an Amazon driver arriving 20 minutes after the first signs of smoke. 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 this could have been prevented," McArdle said. "If you see a fire, maybe call 911 or the fire department before you go on to your next delivery."It took 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, with the Amazon package ending up as 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're not willing to take your call because it wasn't their fault with the fire," McArdle said. "Again, it wasn't to place blame, it was really more of an educational piece. Like, 'Hey maybe you can use this information to teach your drivers a little bit better, if you see something, say something, especially a fire,'"When sister station WCVB reached out to Amazon directly about the incident, the company provided this written statement:"We’re attempting to reach out to the customer to apologize for their initial interaction with our Customer Service team. We encourage drivers to report suspicious activity, and are looking into this incident."