EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA

Merrimack Valley

Building hit by two fires in one night

By Jim Patten
Staff Writer
Published: August 6, 2008

LAWRENCE — The triple-decker at 81 Haverhill St. was the scene of two fires in one night, both of them electrical, Deputy fire Chief Brian Murphy said.

Firefighters were first called to the house at 11:37 p.m. Monday for a fire in a light fixture in the front room on the third floor. That fire was extinguished, 13 residents were evacuated, and the building's power was shut off.

Firefighters were called back to the triple-decker at 5:50 a.m. yesterday and they found heavy smoke coming from the building as they arrived, Murphy said. This time the fire, which began in the rear of the building, went to three alarms and caused an estimated $75,000 worth of damage.

Murphy said investigators believe heat may have built up in the wiring in the rear of the house that smoldered for a while before erupting into flames in the blown-in paper insulation. One firefighter suffered a shoulder injury. The Red Cross went to the scene and aided those displaced by the fire, Murphy said.

Photos