Lawrence blaze tears through at least 5 buildings

Apr. 5—LAWRENCE — A massive fire ignited Easter night in the Saratoga Street area with flames stretching to as many as five buildings in a congested neighborhood in the northern part of the city.

The late-evening fire triggered a large mutual aid response from firefighters throughout the area.

Lawrence Fire Chief Brian Moriarty said a brisk wind fanned the flames, making it difficult to battle the blaze and even more so as spectators gathered to watch.

"We had a lot of problems: It was a congested area, there was a lot of wind, and people wouldn't get out of our way —they found it too interesting to come see a fire and mutual aid had to reroute to get to the fire," he said.

"People saw smoke and they drove toward it," Moriarty added. "The wind kicked up a little and it caused the fire to travel. ... It was early, but if this was 3 in the morning, this could have been a lot worse. Smoke detectors save lives."

By 8 p.m., the blaze was listed at five alarms with more than nine fire engines and area tower and ladder trucks at the scene.

A woman was taken by ambulance to Lawrence General Hospital but she was not believed to have been in a building where the fire occurred. Moriarty said he did not know the extent of her injuries.

There were no other reports of injuries or anyone missing as of late Sunday, police said. The American Red Cross responded to the neighborhood to help those displaced. The fire's cause is under investigation.

In Facebook videos aired Sunday night, Lawrence Mayor Kendrys Vasquez, in both English and Spanish, asked fire victims to come meet with the Red Cross near a command center set up on Lawrence Street near Farrah Funeral Home.

Deb Duxbury, an area Red Cross worker, said at least three buildings —19 Bennington St., 12 Saratoga St. and 14 Saratoga St. —were affected by fire.

As firefighters battled the blaze, electricity was cut to the neighborhood. Vasquez advised drivers to avoid the area and find alternative routes around the fire scene.

The fire also tore through 34 Saratoga St., a two-story building. As of just before 9 p.m., flames were still visible at 14 Saratoga St. — a four-bedroom home built in 1910, according to assessing information.

Firefighters also battled flames at a building at Bennington and Bromfield streets

A variety of firefighting apparatus, including three ladder trucks, were in the area, along with firefighters and fire officials from Lawrence and North Andover.

Residents across the street from the fire stood at windows, in doorways and on porches, taking photos and videos of the blaze as firefighters worked.

In a nearby parking lot, some 10 ambulances waited on standby if needed.

Mutual aid fire departments that responded to Lawrence by 8:15 p.m. included Methuen, Salem, Haverhill, Derry North Andover, North Reading, Danvers, Middleton, Stoneham, Lowell, Tewksbury, Woburn, Groveland, Billerica, Wilmington and West Newbury.

Although the blaze caused extensive damage to several buildings, Moriarty said it could have been a lot worse.

"Even though we lost four buildings, we could have easily lost 20 buildings," he said. "We've had bad fires in this neighborhood before. Our water (supply) was a little tough, some hydrants weren't so good and we had to lay long layers (of hoses)."