Windy Conditions Spreads Fire to Five Homes in Lowell, MA
Windy conditions caused a fire at a home in Lowell to spread to five others nearby Tuesday afternoon, according to the city’s fire chief.
The fire started at 867 Bridge St. and was reported shortly after 2:50 p.m., Lowell Fire Chief Phillip Charron said at a press conference. By the time firefighters got to the home, there were heavy flames coming from the first and second floors of the three-story building.
The wind carried embers from the Bridge Street home northeast and up a hill, causing the flames to spread to homes on two adjacent streets in Lowell’s Centralville neighborhood, Charron said. The other homes that caught fire were located at 12 and 14 Wachusett St. and 34 and 38 May St.
Low water pressure on the three side streets made firefighting challenging, Charron said. But given the high winds and dry conditions, the fire could easily have spread to more buildings than it did.
“We’re very lucky,” he said. “With the wind blowing as it did up the hill, it could have been 12, 15 buildings.”
The Lowell Fire Department ultimately struck five alarms Tuesday afternoon, calling in fire crews to help from as far north as Salem, New Hampshire, and as far south as Burlington, Massachusetts, Charron said. Firefighters evacuated residents and pets on all three streets as they worked to keep the fires from spreading.
At least 25 people have been displaced as a result of the fires, Charron said. Though the flames did not spread to the homes on either side of 867 Bridge St., they were damaged by the intense heat and the water from firefighting efforts.
Two firefighters were taken to a hospital to be treated for heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation, Charron said. No other injuries were reported.
Fire crews planned to remain at the scene well into Tuesday night to ensure all hot spots are extinguished, Charron said. Investigators are still determining what caused the initial fire.
All of Massachusetts aside from the Islands had an elevated fire risk on Tuesday due to dry weather conditions and gusty winds, according to the National Weather Service.
©2026 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit masslive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.