LOWELL, MASS. (WHDH) - Firefighters worked into the evening Wednesday as they worked to extinguish a massive fire in Lowell that reduced a large building to a smoldering pile of rubble.
Responders battled smoke and flames after receiving a report of a blaze at an auto parts and autobody shop on 700 Broadway St. at 2:45 p.m. The battled continued for hours on the ground and on ladders. Surrounding cities and towns provided mutual aid.
Though two people were inside at the time, they were able to safely exit the building and no injuries have been reported, authorities said. Ownership of the building had recently changed and the autobody business had moved to a new location, so many of their more flammable stock– such as paint thinners– had been removed already prior to the fire.
“It’s part of the investigation,” Fire Chief Phillip Charron said, “trying to learn as much information as we can about what was going on inside the building.”
The area was closed and packed with crews trying to restore power to neighbors, as well as break down the building. The power had been cutoff initially for safety due to flames reaching the power lines in the area.
At first firefighters believed it was safe to enter the building, but the fire soon ignited in a new, more dangerous way. A mayday call was issued for one firefighter inside the building.
“The fire quickly flashed on them, and they had to back out,” Charron said. “So we went defensive on the fire, we ended up striking three alarms, and they’re in the process of finishing up the extinguishment right now and overhauling.”
The firefighter who required the mayday call was evaluated on the scene, and was not transported to the hospital.
The state fire marshals office is investigating the cause of the fire.
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