Boston Herald
LYNN, Mass. — A mother, her 19-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter had to be rescued by aerial ladder early this morning when a raging three-alarm fire left them trapped on the top floor of their Lynn apartment building, Lynn District Fire Chief Jack Barry said.
“The guys did a great containing the fire to facilitate those rescues,” Barry said. “It’s not an easy feat for people to get on a ladder and climb down, but there was absolutely no way they were coming down the stairs with the amount of heat and smoke that was on the first floor.”
The family was one of six driven out of 11 Breed Square shortly before 2 a.m. Barry said approximately 12 of the 24 occupants were home at the time.
The cause of the fire, which started on the first floor, is under investigation by the Lynn Fire Department and state Fire Marshal’s Office, Barry said.
The mom and her children were treated for smoke inhalation at Massachusetts General Hospital, but their injuries were not life-threatening, he said.
A Saugus firefighter was also taken to Mass General for heat exhaustion and dehydration. A Lynn firefighter suffered a knee injury, but remained on scene, Barry said.
“The main body of fire was contained to one of the apartments on the first floor,” Barry said, “but there was extensive smoke throughout the building.”
Damages to the six-unit structure are estimated at $100,000. Barry said it is “unhabitable,” but “not a total loss.”
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