Lynn, MA. – The Lynn Fire Department fought for several hours to extinguish a three-alarm fire at 63 Johnson St. in downtown Lynn at approximately 9:58 a.m. Friday morning. A man was rescued through a third-floor window and later treated for smoke inhalation according to the Daily Item.
Firefighters from Engine 1 arrived on Johnson Street, entered the smoke-filled building and with the aid of self contained breathing apparatus, negotiated the frozen, icy ground while continuing to the third floor. Additional firefighters from Ladder 2 under Lt. Raymond Kane carried a portable ladder to the front left side of the structure and raised it to a window on the top floor to rescue a resident, who “was hanging out the window” Fire Chief Dennis Carmody said.
Firefighter Lt. Matthew Reddy climbed up the ladder with the assistance of other crew members to a third-floor apartment window to rescue the tenant. The crew from Engine 1 reached the tenant in time to assist Lt. Reddy’s rescue by ladder. The tenant, Edgar Fuentes, 37, was taken to Union Hospital for smoke inhalation treatment while firefighters continued to attack the fire.
Fire investigator Lt. David Legere confirmed that the building’s owner, Alexander Bogomolov, started the fire while thawing out basement pipes with a heat gun.“It couldn’t have started in a worse place: It went right up to the third floor,” Legere said.
District Fire Chief Lee Oliver said the fire climbed the building, racing along pipe chases up to the third floor where it spread through the roof. “It had been burning a while before anyone noticed,” Oliver said. Oliver and Legere both confirmed that the smoke alarms in the building were functioning.
A number of obstacles were met but overcome by firefighters during this incident. The radiator hose of Engine 1 ruptured but firefighters employed a backup engine and 700 feet of pump line to keep a constant supply of water flowing through the engine and onto the fire. The structure is also located a distance from Johnson Street and directly behind another building which constricted the work space of the fire crews making it difficult to be effective during the attack.
The Lynn Fire Department left the incident with a successful rescue after several hours of battle.
Fire Department authorities declared the fire out at 1:18 p.m Friday afternoon.
Lynn, MA. – The Lynn Fire Department fought for several hours to extinguish a three-alarm fire at 63 Johnson St. in downtown Lynn at approximately 9:58 a.m. Friday morning. A man was rescued through a third-floor window and later treated for smoke inhalation according to the Daily Item.
