Plumber's Torch Sparks Huge Apartment Fire In Lawrence
LAWRENCE (CBS) - A large fire at a triple-decker apartment building displaced 31 people in Lawrence early Thursday morning.
The fire chief said the owner was doing work in a first-floor bathroom with a plumber's torch and that somehow started the fire.
He was able to alert everyone inside and no one was hurt.
The building was not well-insulated, so investigators said that made it easy for the flames to spread quickly.
The fire ripped through the roof of the home on Elm Street in just minutes.
For Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera, it hit close to home.
"It's kind of sad because this is the first house I lived in when I was kid here in Lawrence. We came here when I was 5 years old," he said. "It's six units of housing we can't afford to lose, but the good news is everyone is safe."
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Carl Stevens reports: