Massachusetts

Fire in Lawrence, Mass., Leaves 14 Homeless

Firefighters traced the source of the fire to an unattended candle

Fourteen people were forced out of their home Wednesday when a fire broke out in a multi-family home on Arlington Street in Lawrence, Massachusetts.

The fire was first reported around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday. One woman had to be rescued from the roof of the building and was taken to the hospital, but there were no serious injuries.

That woman, who did not want to be identified, said she was sleeping in her third-floor apartment when the fire broke out, and her only escape was the window.

"I jumped out of bed, jumped out the window and then called 911," she said.

She said she waited about eight minutes before firefighters arrived on the scene and pulled her to safety with a ladder.

Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire before it could spread beyond the building's third floor.

"My first thought was, grab my little brother, get out," said Marcos Peralta, who lives on the second floor. "Get my little brother, get out. That's it."

Fire officials said the cause of the blaze was an unattended candle in a third-floor room.

Damage is estimated at about $200,000.

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