LYNN — A Washington Street house fire that displaced nine people on Thursday night appears to have been caused by an electrical problem, according to the Lynn Fire Department.
The fire broke out at 78 Washington St., a 2½ story wood-framed house with two condo units, shortly after 6:30 p.m, according to Lynn Fire Capt. Joseph Zukas.
Zukas credited the department’s quick response with containing the blaze to one room on the first floor. According to a social media post from the department on Thursday, firefighters encountered heavy fire upon their arrival at the residence and were able to knock it down by about 7 p.m.
“It should be noted that companies working there made a good stop to keep it to one room on the first floor,” said Zukas. “As fires go, it was a good stop. It could have been a lot worse.”
There were no injuries to residents or firefighters, but the building is temporarily uninhabitable. Although the fire was contained to one room on the first floor, there was smoke and water damage throughout the home, Zukas said.
All nine residents — three adults and one minor on the first floor and five adults on the second floor — have been temporarily displaced and placed in hotels, Zukas said.
The fire department has pinpointed a possible cause to an electrical problem on the first floor. One issue firefighters encountered when responding to the fire was the four illegal bedrooms located in the basement of the home, Zukas said.
“It is a problem we see throughout the city when people try to convert their basements into illegal bedrooms,” said Zukas, noting that every bedroom is required to have a window of a certain size in order to comply with building and fire codes.
“These are very dangerous for that reason. If there’s a fire, you can’t get out and it makes it harder for us to get in.”
