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Fire engulfs five buildings in Lawrence, displacing more than 20
“This fire had a good head start on us."
Authorities are investigating a fire that engulfed five buildings in Lawrence Tuesday, displacing more than 20 people.
The Lawrence Fire Department responded to multiple 9-1-1 calls reporting the fire at 324 Lowell St. and when firefighters arrived at the scene, they found the multi-family dwellings at 324 and 326 Lowell St. ablaze, Fire Chief Patrick Delaney told reporters Tuesday night.
“This fire had a good head start on us,” he said.
The five-alarm fire ultimately spread to cause serious damage to five multi-family occupied buildings, one of which had a restaurant on the ground floor, and Delaney said several firefighters had to be treated for heat exhaustion as they battled the blaze in the high temperatures and humidity.
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No civilian injuries were reported.
Other nearby homes suffered burned porches and smoke damage.
“Our gear traps our heat,” he said. “The men and women who are here tonight worked very hard to save a lot of property.”
Delaney estimated about 20 people were displaced by the fire.
“In a fire like this, everybody scatters,” he said. “We’re working to get them all in one place, we’re going to open up the senior center, and our members are working on getting exact numbers so we can open up cases through the Red Cross and make sure everybody has assistance.”
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Delaney said two of the buildings were likely a total loss. Some propane tanks near 85 Oxford St. caught fire and were left to burn off so they wouldn’t explode, he said.
Firefighters had to lay down thousands of feet of hose to put out the fire.
“We’re not positive which one was the original fire building, our investigators are going to be working on that one,” he said.
On Wednesday, Mayor Brian A. DePeña’s office said more than 20 were displaced.
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