Firefighters battled a four-alarm fire in Lynn Saturday afternoon that engulfed a three-family home and sent one firefighter to the hospital, Fire Chief Stephen Archer said.
The blaze broke out at 30 Broadway around 11:30 a.m. and quickly spread through the two-and-a-half-story wood-frame building, Archer said.
All occupants had left the home safely by the time fire crews arrived at the scene.
“Heavy, heavy fire was already showing from the building upon our arrival,” Archer said.
Crews from multiple departments aided Lynn firefighters in attacking the blaze, but firefighters lost access to water as they tried to douse the building.
“We had to go to hydrants a great distance away from the building, and this slowed us down tremendously. We had to bring in a water tanker truck from Middleton to help,” Archer said. “We were seriously hindered by water problems.”
Advertisement
Firefighters also had to move into the woods behind the house to attack brush fires that had been ignited by the flames, Archer said.
One firefighter started showing exhaustion-like symptoms and was taken to Salem Hospital as a precaution, Archer said.
As of 2:30 p.m., crews had knocked down the flames but were still wetting down smoldering brush in the woods and hot spots in the building.
The home is a total loss, Archer said. Seven adults and four children were displaced by the fire.
Firefighters prevented the homes next to the burning building from catching fire, but they did sustain some exterior damage, Archer said.
The cause and origin of the fire are under investigation.
Caroline Enos can be reached at caroline.enos@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @CarolineEnos.