(Karyn Regal/WBZ NewsRadio 1030)
LYNN (WBZ-AM) -- A large Monday evening fire in an 18-unit apartment building left about a dozen families without a place to live.
The fire appears to have started on the third floor of the Broad Street apartment building.
The first call to Lynn Fire came in around 3:45 p.m. Monday.
Lynn Fire Chief James McDonald said the situation was already deteriorating fast when crews arrived.
"When we got here, it was already coming out of the windows," he said.
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Among the challenges for crews were wind and water pressure issues--and concerns about the building collapsing.
"This building is centuries old," Chief McDonald said. "It's probably 150 years old."
Heavy flames and thick smoke made fighting the fire difficult.
Firefighters were ordered out of the building after about an hour, and they battled the fire from ladder trucks into the evening.
Most residents were out of the building when crews arrived, but one woman who lived on the top floor was rescued and taken to Massachusetts General Hospital with serious burns.
One resident said she got out, but her pets did not.
"Our apartment was on the third floor," said one resident. "He left in such a hurry he had no time to go back and get the animals."
The Red Cross is assisting the displaced families.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Ben Parker reports