By Taylor Rapalyea
The Salem News
DANVERS, Mass. — A three-alarm fire ravaged the house at 8 Sylvan St. late Friday afternoon, leaving one firefighter injured.
Firefighters were called to the scene at 5:36 p.m. Friday. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Neighbors poured out of their houses at the smell of smoke and sound of sirens. Linda Nareski, who has lived next door to the house for almost two years, said she didn’t think much of the smell at first.
“I smelled smoke, but it smelled like a bonfire,” she said. “They’d had fires in their backyard before.”
The owners and one family of tenants lived in the two-family Victorian, located across from Danvers Town Hall. No residents were injured in the blaze, but a black short-haired cat was rescued around 6:50 p.m.
“To the best of my knowledge, the [owner] left around 2:30 p.m. and the tenants weren’t home,” said Danvers Fire Chief Kevin Farrell on the scene. “It’s going to be a while before we know the origin of the fire.”
One Beverly firefighter, whose name was not released as of press time, was taken to the hospital with an undisclosed injury. He was conscious and alert when he left the scene.
The entryway to the home was scorched and charred by 6 p.m., and flames persistently appeared along the roof and in the melting black shutters. Smoke billowed out of what appeared to be an attic window in the front for hours.
“I think they did a great job,” said Farrell of firefighters on the scene. “It’s an older home, it’s what they call balloon frame construction. Once the fire gets into the walls, the chase is on. With the limited amount of people we had on duty today — 10 people — [they] did a great job trying to contain the fire.”
Balloon frame construction refers to a construction technique used in the late 1800s, before builders began using fire stops in the walls, according to Fire Rescue Magazine. The method essentially allows fire to travel freely throughout the walls of a structure.
Fire engines from Beverly, Salem, Middleton, Peabody, Wenham and Danvers responded to the alarm, Farrell said. Sylvan Street was blocked off all the way to Adams Street as firefighters battled the flames. Dozens of passers-by stood on the lawn and sidewalk across the street, taking photos and speculating about the source of the fire.
Engines expected to clear the scene around 9 p.m.
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(c)2014 The Salem News (Beverly, Mass.)
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