Fire spreads to 3 multi-family buildings in Lawrence, Massachusetts

Firefighters in Lawrence, Massachusetts are working to contain a fire that damaged at least three buildings on Sunday afternoon.

Lawrence Fire Chief Patrick Delaney said they received multiple 911 calls about the buildings on fire at the intersection of Haverhill and Margin Street at about 12:45 p.m.

When firefighters arrived, there were three occupied multi-family buildings with heavy fire.

"Crews did an excellent job once they arrived on scene to make sure we did a primary search of all three buildings, make sure everybody was out," Chief Delaney said.

No injuries have been reported. It is unclear how many people have been displaced from the three buildings that were on fire.

Chief Delaney said the firefighters were impacted by the hot weather. 

"The crews are working extremely hard, they're taking a lot of heat in all three fire buildings and we're trying to get crews in here to make sure that they're safe and give them some relief," Chief Delaney said.

Investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire. Firefighters from other nearby communities responded for mutual aid.

"We're at a fourth alarm which brings a lot of resources to our city, but they're well needed in a fire like this," Chief Delaney said.  

Police are asking residents to avoid the area of Haverhill Street at Margin Street because of the fire.

Lawrence, Massachusetts is a city about 30 miles north of Boston.