Two Lynn firefighters hurt in two-alarm fire

LYNN – Officials said two firefighters were injured during a two-alarm blaze at a vacant apartment building on Barrett Street Sunday evening.Lynn District Fire Chief Tim Collier said one firefighter was cut on the wrist and a second firefighter suffered heat exhaustion while extinguishing the fire at 16 and 18 Barrett Street.Both were treated for their respective injuries and released from a local hospital, Collier said.The fire was reported at approximately 6:30 p.m. Sunday at a boarded-up, vacant, three-story apartment duplex. Flames appeared at the first floor bay window of one unit and extended to the roof over the front porch and the floor of the unit above, according to witnesses and Collier.Jessica Kham said she was in her apartment in the building next door when a police officer ordered everybody outside.”On the first floor you could see all the smoke and the flames coming out from the window,” Kham said.Dajan Gilmore said he was walking on Mall Street when he saw black smoke in the sky. He said he came over to Barrett Street, thinking his girlfriend’s home might be aflame. He said he saw a police cruiser pass on the way, and the officer turned on his lights and siren when Gilmore pointed at the smoke. Gilmore then came down the street and saw the building.”It was crazy, the flames were like actually shooting out,” he said. “I could feel the heat from across the street.”Gilmore said his friends’ mother was supposed to move into the building Monday.Collier said the first floor of the building sustained extensive fire damage and there was damage to the floor in the unit above the bay window. He said the building had been boarded up and had no occupants at the time of the blaze. Collier estimated the cost of damages to be in excess of $100,000.He said fire investigators remained at the scene by 9 p.m. Sunday and the cause of the blaze was under investigation.