LYNN, Mass. -- One person was injured and a Victorian home in Lynn was destroyed Wednesday after flames broke out in a third floor apartment.
The flames were first reported around 3:45 p.m. at 26 Broad St., and while most of the residents were able to get out on their own, the injured woman required assistance.
Residents said the woman lived in the third floor, in the same apartment where the fire started.
“Finally she came to the door and opened it and she was covered in soot - she said she was cooking but I don’t know what was going on," a resident of the building said.
Just after 5:40 p.m. all firefighters were ordered out of the building, but crews continued working from the exterior with ladder trucks.
“The fire just moved very, very rapidly through the building," Lynn Fire Chief Stephen Archer said. “We are just trying to play catch-up on what is a large body of fire.”
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Boston 25 StormTracker Meteorologist Sarah Wroblewski said winds were above 20 miles per hour in the area, which made fighting the flames more difficult.
In total, the building had 18 housing units and at least 28 residents.
Members of the Lynn Fire Department said they expect to be on the scene all night. The cause is still unknown and will likely not be not be determined until well after the flames are extinguished.
The roof of the building collapsed around 8 p.m. making it a total loss. Fire crews were able to extinguish the flames a short time later, but are expecting to stay on the scene all night watching for hot spots.