LOWELL, MASS. (WHDH) - Six buildings on three different streets went up in flames during windy conditions in Lowell Tuesday afternoon, leaving 25 people without a home.
The six fires sparked at buildings on Bridge Street, May Street, and Wachusett Street.
Lowell fire officials said the windy conditions made putting the flames out difficult, and embers blew from building to building which caused the fires to spread throughout the city.
A woman who lives in one of the homes that caught fire said she ran out her back door to get away from the flames.
“I ran out the back door, jumped over the fence, and went through another house. It went from just a tiny little fire all the way to, expanded to the whole house in a few seconds,” she explained.
Another man who lives on Bridge Street said he ran to help those whose homes were burning on another street.
“When I pulled up to my house, everything was fine and then I went upstairs, was laying in my bed and I just felt some heat,” said a neighbor “I heard the sirens so I came down to look and the whole building was just engulfed in flames. So by then all the trucks came up and then the houses in the back started catching fire so I ran back there to help the people in the back get out of their houses.”
In a statement, Lowell Public Schools said it had to make changes to its transportation routes because of one of the fires, writing in part, “Due to a fire on Bridge Street in the Centralville neighborhood, there will be temporary changes to transportation this afternoon. All elementary students with affected bus stops will be redirected to the Moody School – 158 Rogers Street – for pick-up. For middle school students, buses will drop off as close to their regular stops as safely possible. If a bus is unable to reach a stop, students will also be brought to the Moody School.”
The City of Lowell Senior Center at 276 Broadway Street is open for anyone who has been displaced by the fires, or needs support.
Two firefighters were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation. No civilian injuries were reported.
The cause of the fires is under investigation.
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