Families escape triple decker fire in Lawrence

LAWRENCE, Mass. (WHDH) -- Firefighters battled a three alarm fire in Lawrence. A triple decker on Water Street was on fire.

Authorities said six families lived in the apartment building, and everyone got out, thanks to just one man.

“I was like, get out, get out. You know, I had to shake them up, come on, let's go. So they ran out, grabbed her dog, ran out to the front and I made sure they ran on the street and that's when I ran up to the stairs,” said Nori Luciano.

The smoke could be seen for miles. The situation inside the building was intense. After getting his own kids out of their apartment, Luciano ran back into the burning building to get his neighbor out.

“When I came back in through the backdoor, I was trying to figure out where's the smoke coming from and I couldn’t tell. That's when I saw the flames -- that's when I ran out,” said Luciano.

Luciano believed the fire started in his 11-year-old daughter's room.

“When I heard the alarm, I smelled the smoke right away in her room. Like it was on the ceiling, on the floor, this white clear smoke and then I grabbed them real quick. I was like, let's go, let's go, the house is on fire,” said Luciano.

Crews are still on the scene right now but the fire was put out. Authorities say the building is a total loss. Fortunately, no one was injured, and it is too early to tell what caused the fire.

Initially there were reports of people trapped, but the Lawrence Police Department believes that is not the case.

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