Families Displaced, Cat Saved After Fire Tears Through Lowell Home
LOWELL (CBS) - Intense flames tore through a multi-family home in Lowell Thursday. The building on Foster Street caught fire in the afternoon, gutting the building.
Deputy Fire Chief Frank Kelly said at one point crews were forced out. "They fought it for several hours, but conditions deteriorated and we had to withdraw the crews from the building," Kelly said.
The flames were apparently in some hard to reach areas, making it a difficult firefight at times. Kelly said, "The fire got into a lot of void spaces and got away from us."
When the flames were put out and the smoke cleared, there was a sign of hope for one family. Their family cat Rena in the arms of a Lowell firefighter. A woman, who told WBZ her brother lived at the home, was very relieved to have the white cat safely in her arms. "Very happy," she said, "I think she's happy, too."
There is no word on a cause of the fire, and the Red Cross is helping the three families displaced.
Deputy Chief Kelly said the coronavirus crisis has changed the way the Red Cross helps families. "They're trying to do it virtually rather than meeting with them in person," Kelly said, "that's a different process than what were used to."
