A young girl is dead after flames ripped through a building in Lowell, Mass. on Thursday, according to the city's fire chief.
Lowell Fire Chief Phillip Charron confirmed Thursday night that the body of a child who was missing after the fire on Maude Street has been found. She has not been publicly identified at this time.
Crews first responded to the multi-family home around 2:30 p.m. and found heavy fire when they arrived. Two adults and three other children were rescued from the fire. One person was taken to the hospital where they are listed in stable condition, Charron said.
“The ladies and gentlemen of the Lowell fire department did a tremendous job. They were asked to act very, very quickly and I’ve very proud of them,” Charron said.
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“When you make a rescue, the seconds count,” he added.
Four people were rescued from the fourth floor balcony and the fifth from the first floor.
A witness told an NBC10 Boston/NECN reporter on scene that a woman had to drop a child into rescuers' waiting arms to escape the flames on the third floor.
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“She just grabbed the baby and just, a neighbor caught the baby from, from the third floor,” the witness told NBC10 Boston.
Witness video obtained by NBC10 Boston showed a firefighter carrying a child to safety as flames continued to engulf the building.
Mayor Sokhary Chau said there have been several fires in this area of the city in recent years, and that he was heartbroken by the news.
The Salvation Army said they were responding to the fire to offer food, water and "emotional/spiritual care for impacted individuals" at the request of the fire department. The American Red Cross was also called in. At least 10 people are displaced.
Lowell police ask drivers to avoid the area of Maude and Middlesex streets while crews work.
The State Police Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit has been called in to help investigate the origin and cause of the fire.
The scene remains active and more details were not immediately available.
