PEABODY — A fire broke out on 60 Ellsworth Road early Wednesday morning, destroying a two-story house, hospitalizing two residents and leaving it uninhabitable for them and a family of three.
The Peabody Fire Department received a call from a resident living next to the house at 2:30 a.m. on reports of a possible fire. Within minutes, 35 members of the department arrived on the scene along with members of the Lynn and Salem Fire departments.
Peabody Fire Chief Joe Daly said members of the Peabody Police Department and the neighbor who called helped evacuate the two residents living on the first floor of the house — a husband and wife around 60 years old. The occupants of the second floor — a husband, wife and one child — were able to exit the house without any assistance.
“No other houses were damaged but this house was destroyed,” Daly said. “There was significant damage to the interior along with smoke and water damage on the first floor. Most of the firefighting was exterior based.”
The husband and wife living on the first floor received serious burn-related injuries and were transported to Salem Hospital by ambulance. The husband was then transported by medical helicopter to Boston Hospital after arriving at Salem Hospital.
The family of three did not seek any medical attention and are confirmed to be uninjured.
Daly said it took four hours to extinguish the fire. The house is expected to be razed and the five residents are now displaced.
“If they can’t find any housing on their own, the American Red Cross will assist if they accept,” Daly said. “Overall, damages to the house are around, I would say, over $300,000.”
An investigation regarding the cause of the fire is underway by the Peabody Police Department and the Massachusetts Fire and Arson Investigation System. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.
