TEWKSBURY, MASS. (WHDH) - A massive blaze ripped through a home on Woodland Drive in Tewksbury on Wednesday night, just hours after tenants were served with an eviction notice, police say.
Firefighters found the home fully engulfed in flames when they responded to the scene around 9:30 p.m. They say heavy smoke could be seen billowing into the air.
“I know that they were having problems with the tenants here,” Brenda Camello said. “My brother had been trying to get them out for quite awhile.”
Camello said a judge recently ordered the tenants inside the home out after a lengthy court battle.
Police said that officers were called to the home earlier in the day to help with the eviction of two residents.
“He was utterly shocked,” the homeowner’s attorney, Ellen Wright said. “He’s going to do whatever he can to get to the bottom of this.”
Wright says the eviction process was peaceful. But police say they were called to the home twice in a two-hour period to “keep the peace.”
Neighbors reported hearing explosions at the home when the fire broke out.
The fire is under investigation. No injuries were reported. The home was deemed a total loss.
Wright says her client will be cooperating fully with investigators. The state fire marshal’s office is leading an investigation.
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