A massive fire tore through a wood-frame home on Hobson Street in Lawrence on Tuesday afternoon, sending flames billowing into the sky as firefighters scrambled to knock it down. The blaze quickly escalated to three alarms, with crews from outside the city called in to help contain it.
Firefighters were responding to the fire at 66 Hobson St. when it spread throughout the building, causing significant damage, according to WCVB, which captured the scene on video from Sky5 Tuesday afternoon. Photos and videos sent to Boston 25 News showed massive flames billowing from the wood-frame home as the fire raged. The Andover Fire Department said it was sending its own firefighters to the scene to assist Lawrence crews, a mutual-aid response that Boston 25 News reported as the fire grew.
Scope of the Damage Still Unclear
Andover Fire Rescue separately confirmed it was responding to the fire, per the same WCVB report. It remains unclear how the fire started or whether anyone was hurt, the station noted, and no additional details on the cause or injuries had been released as of Tuesday afternoon.
The fire adds to a string of serious blazes that have hit Lawrence in recent memory. A separate fire on Haverhill Street caused damage to three buildings, with heavy fire already present in all three by the time firefighters arrived, according to WCVB. In another multi-alarm fire that drew mutual aid from New Hampshire crews, officials said flames spread to several cars and eight buildings between Bennington Street and Saratoga Street, as reported by WMUR, with three firefighters and one resident treated at a local hospital for minor injuries.
Past Fires Have Left Residents Displaced
One of the city's more devastating fires in recent years was a fast-moving, multi-alarm blaze that ripped through five buildings, according to WHDH, which reported that two of those buildings were total losses, leaving 20 people without a home.
As of Tuesday afternoon, fire crews remained on scene battling the Hobson Street blaze with help from Andover firefighters. No further information on the extent of the damage, the cause of the fire, or any injuries had been confirmed.
