LYNN — A fire broke out at 8 French St. Thursday morning, leaving a three-floor home uninhabitable for its residents, five people and a dog.
The Lynn Fire Department received two separate calls regarding the fire. One of the calls was from Sabrina Tejeda, a resident who lives on the first floor of the house, at 11:04 a.m. The other call was received around the same time from a resident on Clough Street which is parallel to French Street. Firefighters arrived at the scene immediately.
Lynn Fire Capt. Joseph Zukas said it took firefighters around 30 minutes to put out the fire, but they remained on the scene for more than an hour.
Two residents who live on the first floor, including Tejeda, self-evacuated from the house when the smoke alarms went off at 11:02 a.m. The three residents who live on the second floor, a woman and her two children, were not in the house during the fire.
Firefighters rescued a dog on the second floor that was having difficulty breathing. After receiving oxygen, the dog’s breathing stabilized. No injuries were reported but the house is uninhabitable.
Fire Chief Stephen Archer said the house may be able to be refurbished. He added, however, due to extensive fire damage to the second and third floors, and water damage to the first floor, it will take a long time to repair.
“The house may be salvaged,” said Archer. “But families will either have to stay with the Red Cross or with family members.”
Up to seven fire engines were called to extinguish the fire, which was put out around noon. EMTs and members of the Lynn Police Department were requested in the event of additional injuries and to direct traffic away from the scene, respectively.
Archer said he was relieved no one was injured and the dog was able to be rescued. He said the working smoke detectors played a role in ensuring the safety of the residents.
“When the fire broke out, the smoke alarms were self-activated,” Archer explained. “Thanks to those, the residents on the first floor were able to evacuate.”
Tejeda, one of the five displaced residents, said she was grateful to be safe. She said before the smoke alarms were activated, she noticed smoke coming from the upstairs area.
“I called the fire department when I saw smoke coming from the second floor,” she said. “Everyone is safe, which is good.”
Tejeda confirmed she is receiving help from the Red Cross but declined to say what she will do for shelter in the meantime.
The department’s Fire Investigation Unit was on scene and determined that the cause of the fire was electrical, Zukas said.
Zukas stressed the importance of having several fire stations close by, which allowed the firefighters to have a quick response and get to the scene within minutes.
“It was a good save,” Zukas said.
