WALTHAM, MASS. (WHDH) - A fire tore through a home in Waltham Tuesday, drawing a significant emergency response and sending a father and son scrambling to safety.
Wrapped in a blanket while watching flames engulf his home, 16-year-old Oliver Lasoff said he was sleeping when the fire started and only escaped thanks to his dad.
“I was just in my room,” he said. “I had no idea what was going on. My door was closed and I’m just laying down and I hear him scream all of a sudden.”
The fire started near 10:15 a.m. in Lasoff’s home on Greenwood Lane.
Lasoff’s father, Mark, said he heard a popping noise and checked his home’s security cameras. He said he saw fire in the back of the home and woke up his son.
With his door closed, Oliver said he was initially trying to figure out why his dad was yelling.
“[He was] just screaming my name and that’s it,” he said. “Just ‘Get out! Get out!’”
Mark said he called 911 and then tried to get the fire under control by spraying water on it.
As the flames spread to the deck and the roof line, Mark said he lost track of Oliver.
“I called him because I didn’t know where he was but he was already up…in the driveway,” Mark said.
When firefighters arrived, they found heavy fire. Crews began to tackle the flames but had to call in additional support as the sun beat down on them.
“Days like today, especially for the firefighters, we need to take care of them,” said Waltham Fire Chief Andrew Mullin. “We have to rotate the crews through.”
“Fighting a fire in these conditions is brutal for the guys,” Mullin said.
Officials said three Waltham firefighters were hurt during the emergency response and sent to get evaluated. Fire departments from surrounding towns came to offer support, bringing the number of firefighters on Greenwood Lane to more than 60.
While their home was not livable as of Tuesday afternoon, Oliver and Mark Lasoff said they are glad they are safe.
“I’m very lucky that my dad was screaming my name,” Oliver said.
Oliver and Mark were able to go back into their home to salvage belongings shortly before 4 p.m.
Though an investigation into the cause of the fire was ongoing, authorities said they believe it started near the home’s pool shed.
A GoFundMe page has been created for the family.
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