Lawrence, Massachusetts, Major Fire

[tbendick]

<div class='cs-clip'>
<table border='0' cellpadding='0' cellspacing='0'>
  <tr valign='top'>
  <td>
    <table border='0' cellpadding='0' cellspacing='0'>
    <tr>
       <td><div id='cs-thumbnail' class='cs-thumbnail'><a href='http://player.clipsyndicate.com/view/223/497433' target='_blank'><img src='http://video-static.clipsyndicate.com/cs-video/vol2/2008/1/22/4/3/7366f1e2-7ef7-47d2-97da-9e887f5bf435.jpg' border='0' alt='' width='120' height='90' class='cs-thumbnail'/></a></div></td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
       <td class='cs-button-bg' align='center'><div id='cs-button' class='cs-button'><a href='http://player.clipsyndicate.com/view/223/497433' target='_blank'>Play Video</a></div></td>
    </tr>
    </table>
  </td>
  <td width='5'><img src= 'http://www.clipsyndicate.com/images/spacer.gif' alt='' width='5' height='1' /></td>
  <td>
    <div class='cs-title'><a href='http://player.clipsyndicate.com/view/223/497433' class='cs-title-link' target='_blank'>Fire Destroys City Block in Boston Suburb</a></div>
    <div class='cs-channel-info'>Associated Press - (APTN)</div>
    <div class='cs-time'>Jan. 21, 2008. 05:36 PM EST</div>
    <div id='cs-description' class='cs-description'>A huge blaze started in an empty downtown nightclub in Lawrence, Massachusetts early Monday and spread rapidly through 16 buildings, including apartments and a home for the mentally disabled. One injury was reported. (Jan 21)</div>
  </td>
  </tr>
</table>
</div>

 

[raybrag]

Now this was one HELL of a fire! Call came in around 0230hrs reporting a building fire in a building on the corner of Market and Parker Sts in Lawrence, an old mill city about 25 miles north of Boston, just south of the New Hampshire border. First due company ordered a Working Fire, the Deputy ordered 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Alarms transmitted within 5 minutes. The fire eventually grew to 7 Alarms. The fire originated in an abandoned nightclub that was undergoing renovations and eventually spread to 9 buildings, most of a city block. 5 buildings were completely destroyed, 1 was partially destroyed and the remaining 3 suffered major damage. 10 cities and towns provided Mutual Aid at the fire, which took over 4 hours to bring under control.


Mutual Aid:

Andover, Dracut, Haverhill, Lowell, Metheun, Middleton, North Andover, North Reading, Salem NH & Tewksbury worked

Chelmsford, Georgetown, Groveland  and a few others covered.

According to the Lawrence Fire Department there are currently about 340 vacant buildings in the city. Also the fire department currently has 11 positions unfilled due to budgetary concerns, a city council meeting tomorrow will decide if a tax increase passes. If it does, 4 more laid off and one company closes; if it doesn't, 20 guys laid off and Engines 6 & 8 close. Currently Lawrence runs 5 Engines, 2 Trucks and a Rescue.

Courtesy of
FF Sean 'Skip' Olson
Boston Fire, Ladder 14: