Saugus fire caught early, saves house

SAUGUS – Residents at 24 Whitney St. caught a break Thursday when their home caught fire with firefighters right around the corner.Fire Chief James Blanchard said fire broke out at the multi-family home around 1:45 p.m. but Engine 1 was “Johnny-on-the-spot” since the Essex Street station is right around the corner.The fire, according to Blanchard, started outside, got in under the shingles and burned up through three bays in the construction before firefighters attacked it.”We don’t know exactly how it started,” he said. “We don’t think its suspicious but we’re still investigating.”Blanchard said when firefighters arrived they entered the building and found a mother with two toddlers on the second floor.”They were totally unaware the house was on fire,” he said. “They got them out, no one was hurt.”Firefighters confined the fire quickly but Blanchard said they had to open the wall on the inside of the house to make sure the fire hadn’t traveled further into the framework.”It had the potential to be catastrophic,” he said. “They were really fortunate that Engine 1 was right there.Blanchard said Lynn and Melrose were called in to cover the stations while Lt. Rick Porter and Capt. Chris Rizza and their crew tackled the fire.