By Katie Curley Katzman
AMESBURY — A three-alarm blaze heavily damaged a four-unit building on Pamela Lane yesterday evening, leaving all of the residents homeless.
Fire personnel from the surrounding area responded to the building, which included units 10, 12, 14 and 16 Pamela Lane.
Burning roof insulation could be smelled and the dart of flames could be seen for miles as crews battled ice and frigid temperatures to put the fire out.
Flames concentrated in the attic of units 14 and 16 were doused by Amesbury and Merrimac firefighters on ladder trucks, shooting water down into the homes.
On-scene personnel believed the fire was sparked in 14 Pamela Lane and quickly spread through the wall to number 16.
Crews battled for over an hour trying to get the majority of the fire under control. No injuries were reported.
Amesbury, Newburyport and Merrimac firefighters used steel poles to vent the fire before using chain saws to peel away the roof and extinguish the blaze. Flames, soot, water and insulation exploded from the roof as the shingles were taken off.
James Leblanc, the owner of unit 16, was sleeping when he awoke to the smell of smoke. He quickly learned his unit, as well as two adjacent ones, were on fire.
"I thought someone was using a woodstove, only it didn't exactly smell like wood," said Leblanc, 38, who lives alone in the unit. "I got up and went into the bathroom and saw smoke was coming through the light fixtures and the light switch was crackling."
The owner of unit 10, Henry Fournier, was watching television with his wife, Cathy, and daughter when his wife noticed smoke coming from the back of units 14 and 16.
"Jim usually works nights, so I ran over and knocked on the door," Fournier said. "He came out and said he believed it was the unit next to him."
Fournier and Leblanc opened the door to unit 14, and smoke billowed out.
Fournier believed his home was spared the brunt of the damage but wondered how much smoke damage his unit suffered.
The owner of unit 14 is Colleen Henderson, and the owner of 12 is George Foster, Fournier said. Both are in their 40s, he said.
According to the town Web site, the units were built in 1974, and number 16 was sold to Leblanc in 2008 for $195,000. The house is two stories high and 1,300 square feet.
Don Silva, vice president of the management board for the complex off Whitehall Road, said the complex is made up of 84 units, each having four units in a building.
"The heating system is located between the units, so in a place like this, it doesn't take much," Silva said.
Leblanc and Fournier both said they believed the cause of the fire was electrical.
"Earlier, the lights were dimming off and on," Fournier said.
Leblanc said the crackling and popping sounds coming from the light switches made him think it was electrical.
While crews worked to get the fire under control, firefighters grabbed personal items they saw in the home.
Shortly before the fire was extinguished, an Amesbury firefighter handed Leblanc a collection of swords and weapons he had found in the home.
"I lost everything," Leblanc said, including a large flat-screen television and computer. "My dad was a carpenter, and I lost all that furniture he made me."
Both Leblanc and Fournier said the owners of the middle units were not home, and they did not see them on the scene.
Amesbury fire Chief Jon Brickett said heavy smoke and fire made extinguishing the blaze difficult. He said smoke and fire damage is mainly contained to units 12 and 14, and the cause of the fire will be determined in the coming days.
Crews from Newton, N.H., and West Newbury assisted in the fire.
The blaze remains under investigation of the state fire marshal and Amesbury Fire Department.
