SWAMPSCOTT — A man attempted to rescue a dog from a house fire on Manton Road Thursday night, but the dog has died.
Around 7 p.m., crews were called to knock down a fire at 33 Manton Road. The fire was extinguished by 8 p.m., according to Swampscott Fire Chief Graham Archer.
The family of four that lived in the home has been displaced. They were away when the fire began, but one family member returned home to find smoke, according to Archer.
During the blaze, a neighbor went into the home to attempt to rescue the family’s service dog. The man was able to escape the home with the dog, but the dog eventually died after being taken to a veterinarian.
The fire eventually reached 2-alarm status, with firefighters from Swampscott, Lynn, Marblehead and Salem responding. The Peabody Fire Department also responded to cover Swampscott Fire Department’s headquarters.
The fire began on the first floor of the home and spread to the second floor, according to Archer. Both floors sustained “significant damage,” Archer said.
Friday afternoon, the house had no visible damage to its exterior, but the windows had been boarded up.
Next-door neighbor Julie Coleman said she watched while crews battled the fire, and her husband, David, a retired Lynn firefighter, tried to lend assistance.
“You never saw the flames. It was just very, very smoky,” Coleman said.
According to Coleman, it was her neighbor, Matt Jensen, who went into the home to rescue the dog. Jensen himself was then taken to the hospital, Coleman said. Coleman is not sure of Jensen’s status.
According to Patch, neighbors have begun collecting gift certificates, snacks and other donations for the displaced family, which includes two school-aged children.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, Archer said.
David McLellan can be reached at [email protected].
