Suzanne Chapman and Sonya Gershkovich watch Lynn firefighters in upper floors of a working fire that broke out in Gershkovich’s home on Ocean Street early Tuesday afternoon. There were no reported injuries. Item photo by Jim Wilson.
By Gayla Cawley
LYNN — Firefighters quickly knocked down a fire at an Ocean Street home on Tuesday afternoon, but all of the residents were displaced.
The blaze at 62 Ocean St. was reported to the Lynn Fire Department at 12:25 p.m., and when first responders arrived, there was smoke showing from the outside, but no flames, according to Lynn District Fire Chief Stephen Archer.
Any visible flames were inside, Archer said, adding that the heavy smoke condition and absence of exterior flames made it difficult for firefighters to find where the fire was coming from.
Archer said the fire started in a bedroom on the first floor. One woman, the owner, was home at the time and was on scene when firefighters arrived. A search of the second and third floors, along with the basement showed that no one else was home when the blaze started, he added.
There were no reported injuries. Three other residents live in the multi-family home and joined the owner shortly after the response. The two first-floor occupants were displaced and required Red Cross assistance with housing, Archer said, but he was unsure for how long. He said there is heavy smoke damage throughout the first floor, along with fire and water damage in the bedroom where the blaze started.
City Deputy Building Commissioner Clint Muche said the other two residents, who lived on the second and third floor respectively, had to find alternate housing for the night but would likely be able to return today. He said he was unsure how long the first-floor residents would be displaced.
Archer said the home is salvageable, which he attributed to firefighters quickly knocking down the fire. Before it was extinguished, the fire got up into the ceiling between the first and second floors, and was advancing, he added.
The Fire Investigation Unit is working to determine the cause and origin of the blaze.
Gayla Cawley can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @GaylaCawley.
