Swampscott woman critical following fire

SWAMPSCOTT – An 82-year-old Swampscott woman remains in critical condition following a blaze that appears to be started by smoking materials that decimated a single family home at 370 Forest Ave.According to Fire Chief Richard Carmody, homeowner Arthur C. Townsend, 82, was outside the home when firefighters arrived but his wife, Barbara, was still inside the home while flames engulfed the front of the house.Carmody, who lives near the scene, said he was sitting on the couch when his wife said she smelled smoke at approximately 10 p.m. Thursday evening.”When I got there fire was coming out the windows at the front of the house and shooting 20 feet into the air,” he said. “It was so hot it melted the aluminum gutters right off the building.”Carmody said firefighters were told there was a woman inside and, despite the smoke and heat from the inferno, they rushed inside.”As bad as conditions are there, we give it our all,” he said. “When we know someone is inside they will risk everything and go in because they know we’re their last hope of getting out. Our guys really took a serious beating.”Carmody said firefighters had difficulty accessing the residence because flames were shooting out of the front of the house and the windows were difficult to break.”We couldn’t get in the front door,” he said. “I was breaking one window and had to whack it about 10 times. Some of these new windows are tough to break. Some guys searched while others tried to hold the fire back.”Carmody said Barbara Townsend was alive when firefighters found her on the kitchen floor.”Firefighter Robert Randall found her,” he said. “She was breathing when we brought her out. He (Randall) said it was brutally hot in there. There was zero visibility and you could almost move the smoke with your hand.”State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan, Carmody and Swampscott Police Chief Madigan said the fire appears to have been started by the improper disposal of smoking materials.According to Jennifer Mieth, who is the public information officer for Coan, the fire started in a family room between the garage and the main part of the house and caused substantial damage to the home. Arthur Townsend sustained some injuries in the fire but his were not life threatening.The fire is still under investigation by the Swampscott Fire Department, Swampscott Police Department and State Police assigned to the Office of the State Fire Marshal and State Police assigned to the Essex County District Attorney’s Office.Carmody said firefighters from Lynn, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Nahant all helped at the scene while Revere and Lynnfield manned the station.