LAWRENCE — The cause of a smoky fire that destroyed a Lea Street home and left three dozen temporarily homeless this weekend will be listed as “undetermined,” Fire Chief Brian Moriarty said.
The four-family home at 1-7 Lea St. was razed after the 1 p.m. fire Saturday afternoon battled by Lawrence firefighters with help from surrounding communities.
Moriarty said investigators believe the fire was sparked by an electrical issue, but the destruction of the building is too overwhelming and perilous to conduct an in-depth investigation. A chimney in the home collapsed as firefighters were battling the blaze and two others were also very close to crumbling, he said.
While the exact electrical cause can’t be pointpointed, Moriarty said “we don’t believe it was malicious at all.”
No injuries to civilians or firefighters were reported. Moriarty said firefighters worked diligently to contain the fire to the single building in a congested neighborhood.
Built in 1900, the home is owned by Estela and Danis Reyes and currently valued at $849,600, according to city assessing records.
Extremely heavy fire leapt from the first floor and ravaged the entire building. Mutual aid engines and ladder trucks from across the Merrimack Valley responded to the fire and the city to help. The fire was brought under control around 3 p.m. with extensive overhaul to follow.
Moriarty praised Deputy Chief John McInnis, one of the first to arrive at the scene, for an aggressive “spot-on attack plan.”
“All of the firefighters did an outstanding job,” said Moriarty, who further thanked mutual aid companies that came to the city “for their rapid response.”
The blaze Saturday was the first “significantly large fire in the city in quite a while,” said Moriarty, pointing to fire prevention efforts, as well as aggressive and highly trained firefighters who work daily shifts.
City workers, Red Cross staffers, along with Firefighter Juan “Manny” Gonzalez of the nonprofit “Heal Lawrence,” which aids fire and disaster victims, are working with fire victims.
Gonzalez said the victims, who are staying temporarily in hotels, were given gift cards to buy groceries and instructions to apply for emergency funding. Their personal belongings, clothing, documents and more were incinerated.
“They lost everything,” said Gonzalez, who repeatedly stresses the necessity of tenants’ insurance.
“Fires don’t discriminate. This can happen to anyone,” he said.
Follow staff reporter Jill Harmacinski on Twitter/X @EagleTribJill and on Threads at jillyharma.