Fire Guts Haverhill Apartment Complex
HAVERHILL (CBS) --- A three-alarm fire gutted an apartment complex in Haverhill Wednesday afternoon, displacing more than 40 residents.
Flames broke out about 1 p.m. and spread quickly through the three-story building on Forest Acres Drive. Residents said it started in between two sections of the apartment complex.
Smoke could be seen from miles away.
There were few people in the building when the fire started. One woman clutched her toddler and jumped from a balcony to escape the flames. The child is OK; the mother has serious injuries and is in the hospital.
Firefighters say there are no sprinklers in the building and they were delayed when they arrived when a nearby hydrant did not work. Smoke and fire spread into the woods near the complex, causing another nearby building to be evacuated.
A fire wall saved the units on the left side of the building. Firefighters kept the water going well into the night.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
