Scooter is suspected origin of fire

Local News

Related Photos

Salem fire officials believe a two-alarm fire at 270 Washington St. started "at or near" this motor scooter, which was parked near the building. The 2 a.m. fire displaced residents of the building's five units. BETHANY BRAY/Staff photo
Scorch marks run up to the third floor of 270 Washington St. in Salem after an early morning fire. BETHANY BRAY/Staff photo
Salem fire officials believe a two-alarm fire at 270 Washington St. started "at or near" this motor scooter, which was parked near the building. BETHANY BRAY/staff photo
Some of the residents of 270 Washington St., Salem, re-enter the building after a fire there was extinguished shortly after 2 a.m. yesterday. Alan Webster/Courtesy photo Some of the residents of 270 Washington St., Salem, re-enter the building after a fire there was extinguished shortly after 2 a.m. yesterday.
Scorch marks run up the side of 270 Washington St., evidence of an early morning, two-alarm fire. Salem fire officials believe the blaze started "at or near" a motor scooter that was parked near the building. BETHANY BRAY/Staff photo
A fire broke out early yesterday morning at 270 Washington St. in Salem.
Ken Yuszkus/Staff photos Salem fire officials believe the two-alarm fire at 270 Washington St. started "at or near" this motor scooter, which was parked next to the building. Ken Yuszkus/Staff photos

Discussion

The Salem News has a real-name policy for commenting. Users may sign in using the Facebook Connect tool above the comments field. Once your first comment is posted by a moderator, all future comments will post automatically. If you prefer not to use Facebook, send an e-mail with your comments user name (which must be the same as your real name), city or town, street address and daytime phone number to comments@salemnews.com. A staff member will contact you directly to confirm your identity. It may take a day or two before you can post comments. Only your user name will be public. All users are required to follow our rules for commenting, which can be found here.

comments powered by Disqus

September 13, 2012

Scooter is suspected origin of fire

BY BETHANY BRAY STAFF WRITER The Salem News Thu Sep 13, 2012, 05:00 AM EDT

SALEM — Fire officials say an early morning blaze at 270 Washington St. started “at or near” a motor scooter that was parked next to the building.

The two-alarm fire caused $60,000 in damage and displaced the building’s 10 residents. No injuries were reported.

“We believe the fire originated at or near the scooter, but we cannot pinpoint whether or not it was the scooter itself that started the fire,” firefighter John Roth said. “(The scooter) was definitely totaled and fully engulfed, and (the fire) extended into the building.”

A resident of the building spotted flames just before 2 a.m. and called 911. Fire spread into the building’s basement through a window and traveled to the upper floors through a plumbing encasement.

Firefighters were on the scene for roughly two hours, working to ensure the fire didn’t spread to neighboring buildings, including Major Magleashe’s Pub next door.

American Red Cross volunteers responded before daybreak, and the organization provided temporary hotel rooms for two residents of the building last night. The Red Cross also provided debit cards to cover emergency food for several other residents, said Kat Powers, Red Cross spokeswoman.

The Fire and Police departments are working together to investigate the fire and determine the cause, Roth said. Nothing — including arson — has been ruled out at this point, he said yesterday.

City building inspectors responded to the property yesterday and gave permission for residents to return, except the occupants of the first-floor unit on the right side, nearest to where the motor scooter was parked.

Yesterday afternoon, the charred remains of the scooter sat next to the building. Many of the windows were covered in plywood, and black scorch marks could be seen on the side of the building, up to the third floor.

City records show the building is owned by Patricia Egnet White of Haverhill; she could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Roth said the landlord came to the fire scene, was helpful and seemed “genuinely concerned” for the residents.

Yesterday, Powers urged residents to call the Red Cross if they need help with shelter, food or just advice.

“The need (for help) is not always immediately apparent,” she said.

The brick building at 270 Washington St. contains five apartments and was built around 1915, according to city records. The building and land are assessed by the city at $353,600.

Beverly, Peabody, Marblehead and Lynn sent crews to Salem for station coverage while Salem firefighters were at the fire yesterday morning.

Bethany Bray can be reached at bbray@salemnews.com and on Twitter @SalemNewsBB.