Investigator: Fire in Lewis Street group home ‘suspicious’

LYNN- An electrical examiner’s report on wiring inside 30 Lewis St. will help fire investigators determine if a Monday morning fire in the group home was arson.
“It looks suspicious but we can’t rule out anything,” said Fire Lt. David Legere.
The 4 a.m. fire left 11 developmentally disabled residents and two counselors homeless. They are living in another congregate home while investigators determine how fire broke out in a basement storage bin.
“Everyone got out safe. If they hadn’t kept the fire in the basement, it would have been a disaster,” Legere said, adding that some residents were reluctant to leave the building because a false fire alarm sounded in the building 90 minutes before the fire.
Legere said the basement is shared by 30 Lewis and neighboring 28 Lewis and is fairly accessible. An examiner working for the building’s insurer is trying to determine if an electrical malfunction started the fire.
“We should know later this week,” he said.