Fire rips through Melrose home; firefighters treated for heat injuries

Firefighters battled a fire on Berkeley Street in Melrose Tuesday.Matt Karolian

MELROSE — Firefighters were battling a fire at a home on Berkeley Street here Tuesday evening.

When firefighters arrived at 25 Berkeley St., they found heavy fire at the front of the house that “got in” through a wall in the attic, Melrose Fire Captain Peter Grant told reporters at the scene. Four or five firefighters suffered heat-related injuries and were treated at the scene but not taken to a hospital, he said.

“With all this gear on, this heat it’s exhausting ... it was all heat-related injuries,” he said.

All of the home’s residents had made it outside the house safely by the time firefighters arrived, Grant said.

The front of the home had been charred up to the roofline, and the front windows had been blown out by the fire.

Firefighters had to rip out walls and ceilings inside the home to put the fire out completely, Grant said.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.