53 homeless after fire scorches Lawrence neighborhood

LAWRENCE — Dozens fled from their homes when a massive, 4-alarm fire broke out early Thursday morning in an abandoned Summer Street building used as a shooting gallery for drug addicts and a refuge for homeless squatters, officials said.

The American Red Cross said they were assisting 53 residents displaced by the 2:15 a.m. blaze at 29 Summer St. Four firefighters were injured with two treated and released at area hospitals.

A cause was not pinpointed Thursday but the fire is “definitely suspicious,” said Lawrence Fire Chief Brian Moriarty.

Long a danger and an eyesore, city officials have been working for two years to get the building made safe or torn down.

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