Massachusetts

Fireworks to Blame for Destroying Home in Lynn

Fireworks are to blame for a causing a fire that ultimately destroyed a home in Lynn, Massachusetts Monday night.

Investigators said Monday the fire at 35 Congress St. started as a result of people setting off fireworks and one ricocheting to the second-floor porch which ignited nearby combustibles. The fire quickly reached 3-alarms, spreading to the rest of the second and third floors.

Neighbor Alysa Mercado said she saw the fireworks being lit.

"I was actually sitting on my porch, and they were playing with Roman candles, and it bounced off the telephone pole and landed on the second-floor balcony," recalled Mercado. "Whatever was there caught on fire and it just went up."

Mercado said she ran into the burning building.

"My cousin was in there with her animals and stuff, and I had to run in there and help her grab them," she said.

Mercado, her cousin and the animals all got out safely. But the damage to the building was extensive.

Fire officials said 10 people were displaced due to the fire.

"Six families have been displaced and we are very lucky nobody was seriously injured. It is incidents like this which underscore why the possession and use of all fireworks by private citizens is illegal in Massachusetts," said Lynn Fire Chief Stephen Archer.

Authorities pointed out that between 2008 and 2017, 784 major fire and explosive incidents involving illegal fireworks have been reported resulting in 10 civilian injuries, 4 fire service injuries, and an estimated property dollar loss of $1.9 million.

"With the Fourth of July holiday approaching, we want to remind the public to leave the fireworks to the professional," State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey said.

It's unclear if the people who lit the fireworks will be charged.

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