Massive fire in Lawrence could've been much worse, neighbors say

LAWRENCE, Mass. — Dozens of Lawrence firefighters spent their Memorial Day morning battling a fire that spread through three buildings.

No one was hurt but the damage was significant and it could’ve been much worse had it not been a holiday.

There was only one woman inside at the time the fire started and she was able to get out safely, but neighbors tell us there’s usually a day care run out of one of the buildings.

But with it being Memorial Day, there were no children there.

“I looked out the window and the flame was coming up from like the bottom of the house and then it spread to the next door garage,” Mary Leger said.

She woke up in her nearby home to see the garage pouring smoke from the windows and doors.

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“There's usually like about eight kids,” she said of the building. “It's really sad because the lady from the house, she has a daycare and I'm glad that today was the holiday and she didn't have no kids in there. She was all alone. So it's kind of sad though."

The Lawrence Fire Chief told Boston 25 several companies had to help extinguish the blaze – totaling about 50 firefighters on duty.

Mary Leger, who lives nearby, said it was a scary situation and she and nearby families had to evacuate their homes.

“Because there was a lot of cars out in the back and inside the garages, so they didn't want us to be in any danger so we had to run,” she told Boston 25.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but the chief said he believes it started in the garage.

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