Fire rips through Amesbury house; residents escape uninjured

Jul. 17--NEWBURYPORT -- A two-alarm fire ripped through a wood-frame single family house at 100 Congress St. Friday afternoon, but the three or four residents home at the time got out safely.

The Amesbury Fire Department received a report of a structure fire on the first floor at 12:53 p.m. Friday. Fire Chief Ken Berkenbush said that when they arrived, firefighters found the fire was through much of the house, with flames extending from the first floor up through the roof.

Berkenbush said all of the house's "three or four" residents home at the time were able to get out of the building safely before fire crews arrived. He said the house is a "total loss" due to the damage.

The chief said the department has "no idea of the cause or origin of the fire yet," the state fire marshal's office was called in to investigate, as is typically done when a single-family home is lost in a fire.

"It helps not only the city ensure there's not an arsonist or something, but it also helps the homeowner with insurance if an investigator comes in to determine the cause," said Berkenbush.

He said the first crews that came in called for a second alarm which brought in the department's mutual aid partners. Subsequently, firefighters experienced hydrant problems because of the long, steep driveway.

"The water pressure here is good, but because the steep incline of the driveway and the height of the house. We had to have additional crews come and pump the hydrants to provide water for us," said Berkenbush.

Ed MacIntosh, who lives across the street from the house, said he saw flames and smoke through the trees when he pulled into his driveway about 20 minutes before fire crews showed up on site. But because the house sits deep in a forested area, the details were unclear from the street.

"I knew it was not too good... It was pretty unnerving," said MacIntosh.

Staff writer Jack Shea covers Newbury­port City Hall. He can be reached via email at jshea@newburyportnews.com or by phone at 978-961-3154. Follow him on Twitter @iamjackshea.

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