Five-Alarm Fire in Lynn, MA, Likely Accidental, Officials Say
masslive.com
(TNS)
A fire that tore through a Lynn home and destroyed a nearby church on Friday night was likely caused by accident, State Fire Marshal Jon Davine’s office said on Monday.
Investigators found no evidence that the fire was intentionally set, rather that the fire began in the kitchen’s gas stove of a second-floor apartment at 60 Estes St., Davine’s office said in a statement.
"Based on witness interviews and their observations at the scene, they found that a mechanical malfunction was the most likely cause, though the exact nature of the malfunction could not be determined," Davine’s office said.
First reported after 8:20 p.m. on Friday, first responders saw heavy fire inside and smoke outside on arrival at 60 Estes St., according to Davine’s office. Firefighters sought out all the people inside the home, with at least 18 people displaced, according to the Lynn Fire Department.
But the fire spread quickly through the three-story, multi-family home toward the rear of the Iglesia Evangelica Congregacional Church, about 10 feet away, the statement read.
Other homes on Broad Street were evacuated out of precaution as winds at around 20 mph blew large embers toward other structures in the neighborhood, Davine’s office said. Firefighters eventually contained the fire with the help of other fire departments, including from Swampscott, Melrose, Saugus, Revere, Salem, Marblehead, Chelsea, Lynnfield and Boston.
“Our hearts remain with the families that lost their home and all our community members who lost their church,” Lynn Fire Chief Daniel Sullivan said in the statement. “More than a dozen people have been displaced, and many more lost a house of worship that represents a home away from home. We are deeply grateful that our residents are safe and that the fire was contained before it could spread further in this densely built neighborhood.”
©2025 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit masslive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
