Family Displaced After Two-Alarm Fire In Wakefield: Update

WAKEFIELD, MA — A two-alarm fire burned through a home on Jackson Lane in Wakefield on Tuesday, displacing a family of four after a broad response from 10 different area fire departments, as noted in an update from Wakefield Deputy Fire Chief Tom Purcell on Tuesday afternoon.

A firefighter was taken to the hospital with heat exhaustion during the fire, though he is expected to recover, Purcell said.

The fire broke out around 11:15 a.m., prompting multiple 9-1-1 calls. The family that lived in the home was not present when the fire began, according to Purcell.

Crews responded to find heavy smoke, Purcell said, and fire showing in the back of the home. Firefighters worked inside the house to fight the flames, eventually bringing the situation under control after venting flames that had burned into the home’s attic, according to Purcell.

The fire left the home uninhabitable, with what Purcell described as “extensive damage” to the first floor and attic. There was also water and smoke damage in the basement, Purcell said.

In addition to Wakefield firefighters, crews from Reading, Melrose, Stoneham, Lynnfield, Saugus, North Reading and Woburn all responded to the fire scene on Tuesday.

Malden and Saugus personnel provided station coverage for Wakefield.

“This was a labor-intensive fire in hot and extremely humid conditions, which took a toll on firefighters who worked aggressively to pull ceilings and get to the seat of this fire,” Purcell said in a statement.

Purcell thanked mutual aid partners, adding that “Crews did a great job battling this blaze in challenging conditions.”

The fire remained under investigation as of Tuesday afternoon, with the Wakefield Fire Department and the State Police Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit assigned to the State Fire Marshal’s office collaborating on the investigation.