Large fire consumes vacant building in Lawrence

LAWRENCE, Mass. (WHDH) -- Angry flames devoured a Lawrence building late Tuesday night. One firefighter was sent to the hospital with undisclosed injuries.

The building was vacant but the fire was so big and spreading so fast there was real concern for the neighbors next door.

“I was scared. Since it was close I thought we were going to get hit by it or burned or something,” said neighbor Ricky Baez.

“They knocked on the door saying there was fire so we came out and there was fire already in the next house,” said another neighbor.

This woman said she just had time to grab her family and her purse.

“Three seconds. Let's say three seconds, yeah, because the firemen were knocking real hard and saying we have to go out,” she said.

“We had heavy fire; we had exposure problems, a couple of water problems taken care of,” said Deputy Chief John McGinnis of the Lawrence Fire Department.

Firefighters said two other buildings were threatened by the fire. They worked hard to save those buildings. As for where it started, neighbors said the building had been empty for years.

“It's got to be fishy. Fires just don't start up out of nothing,” said Baez.

The fire apparently started on the first floor. It is not known how the fire started. Neighbors were able to return to their homes by Wednesday morning.