Local News

6 alarm fire in Lawrence rages through several homes

Sixteen families were evacuated and no one was injured.

Firefighters battled a raging, 6-alarm fire late Friday night that started at a multi-family home on Crosby Street and quickly spread to 5 other homes, officials said. The fire displaced 16 families, who were evacuated and taken by MBTA bus to the Lawrence Senior Center for temporary shelter, Fire Chief Brian Moriarty said. Erin Clark/Globe Staff

By Mia McCarthy

1 minute to read

A six-alarm fire broke out in Lawrence on Friday night and displaced 16 families, according to the city’s fire department.

The fire was first reported at 9:50 p.m. on Friday night, according to The Boston Globe. Lawrence officials said flames broke out on the third-floor porch of a triple-decker at 22-24 Crosby St., before spreading to five other homes.

The fire spread to three homes on Crosby Street and two homes on Salem Street, according to Lawrence Fire Chief Brian Moriarty at a news conference.

Moriarty said 16 families were evacuated and no residents were injured. MBTA buses took the families to Lawrence Senior Center for temporary shelter.

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No firefighter injuries were reported.

“Everybody is okay,” Moriarty said. “They’re working their butts off.”

The Red Cross of Massachusetts tweeted they are assisting the families alongside the Salvation Army.

Moriarty added that fire investigators are working with the state fire marshal to determine what started the fire.

“It’s early,” Moriarty said. “We don’t know what caused it.”

Five buildings endured fire damage and multiple other buildings received exposure damage, according to Moriarty.

A Lawrence firefighter pulls a hose out of a house on Crosby Street in Lawrence after hosing down hot spots the morning after a fire. Erin Clark/Globe Staff

The fire chief also said he had the National Grid shut off power in the area.

Moriarty added that they were able to get help quickly from nearby fire departments, including Lowell, Salisbury, and Wilmington, among others.

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“Multiple chiefs have come to help us out,” Moriarty said. “It’s been a great display of firefighter camaraderie, helping each other out.”

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