Jan. 21, 2008: Seven-alarm fire breaks out in the block of Market and Parker streets. A total of 14 buildings are hit by flames | 12 of them multi-family homes. More than 180 are evacuated from 26 housing units. The fire breaks out in a former nightclub under renovation and is described as suspicious. One person suffers minor injuries.
Dec. 11, 1995: An explosion at the Malden Mills plant on the Lawrence-Methuen line consumes the 29-acre campus. Twenty-seven people are injured.
From 1991 through 1994: Described as the city's "flaming era," Lawrence has the most arson fires per capita than any other place in the country. In 1991 alone, there are 144 arson cases reported, bringing national attention to the city. This leads to the creation of the Arson Task Force. It is the last of three arson waves that began in the 1980s.
Welcome to our online comments feature. To join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address. Once you do, your comments will post automatically. We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean. We reserve the right to remove comments that are obscene, racist or abusive and statements that are false or unverifiable. Repeat offenders will be blocked. You may flag objectionable comments for review by a moderator.
