SALEM — A three-alarm fire heavily damaged a Boston Street triple-decker owned by the Salem Housing Authority early Saturday morning and sent a pregnant woman to the hospital.
Firefighters are still investigating the cause of the blaze, which started in a child's bedroom on the second floor around 1 a.m. Saturday, said Salem fire Lt. John O'Leary.
Three people, including a pregnant woman, were treated at Salem Hospital for minor burns and released the same day, said Carol MacGown, the executive director of the Salem Housing Authority.
Firefighters arrived at 73 Boston St. to find flames coming from the back windows on the second floor.
"There was heavy heat and smoke damage throughout the whole building," said O'Leary.
The heat was so intense that it melted the vinyl siding on the house next door at 75 Boston St.
At first, firefighters were told there were people trapped on the third floor and immediately went into search-and-rescue mode. But they later found out the tenants had escaped through a staircase connecting the back decks.
Everyone made it out safely, but the building's layout and age, plus the heavy smoke and flames, posed a tough challenge to firefighters who had to enter the building through the back.
"Just to get to the third floor was tough," said O'Leary. "They did a great job. It was amazing it was stopped on the second floor."
The fire did spread to a portion of the third-floor unit and there was heat damage throughout the building. O'Leary estimated the building is a total loss.
MacGown said the three-family house, which was fully insured, had about $250,000 in damage.
The displaced families stayed at the Hampton Inn on Route 1 in Peabody that night and returned to salvage their belongings later that day.
The popularity of Salem's Haunted Happenings attractions made it difficult for the Housing Authority to find hotel vacancies for the tenants, said Housing Authority Chairman John Boris. The tenants stayed with family Saturday night and will return to the hotel Sunday and Monday nights.
Boris was hopeful the Housing Authority will find long-term housing for them by tomorrow or Wednesday.
The Housing Authority recently invested in new windows and porches for the house a few months ago, Boris said.
Smoke detectors inside the house were working properly, O'Leary said.
"Everything was in working order," said O'Leary.
About 10 hours earlier on Friday afternoon, firefighters knocked down a blaze at the nearby Sunshine Laundry at 19 Boston St. The two fires are unconnected. Yesterday, Lt. Timothy Flynn said that while the cause of the laundromat fire is still under investigation, it does not appear suspicious.
Staff writer Chris Cassidy can be reached at ccassidy@salemnews.com.
