Shortly before 4am on Tuesday June 12, 2012 Worcester Fire Alarm transmitted a box for Merrick and Larch Streets for a reported structure fire. Calls started inundating Fire Alarm and soon Worcester Police would arrive on scene and report they had at least 3 buildings involved in fire with the main fire building at 20 Merrick Street being fully involved.

Car 4 who was still responding could see a glow in the distance and based on the reports immediately ordered a 2nd and 3rd alarm to be struck as he knew much manpower would be needed. Crews from Park Ave and South Division would be first to arrive on scene along with the district chief finding the main fire building was nothing but a burning skeleton with fire already consuming a nearby construction dumpster and 3 deckers at both 16 and 24 Merrick Street.

A 4th alarm was quickly summoned to the scene bringing in nearly all available Worcester resources totaling 10 engines and 5 ladder companies. Fire alarm was also busy calling in the 3rd and 4th alarm mutual aid cover companies as well as a whole group of off duty personal to respond to their stations.

As each engine company arrived on scene they were responsible for establishing their own water supplies as they would all be working master streams and large hand lines as well as feeding many ladder pipe operations.

The initial fire building where the fire is believed to have started collapsed to the ground within what neighbors described as about 30 seconds. The building was only a gutted shell as construction crews had been working on renovating it. Luckily there was only a short moment of concern as reports initially stated a man who worked on the building often stayed there but was luckily located safe a short time later.

Fire would also reach the home at 9 Larch Street as well, heavily damaging it as well as melting the siding on the home next to it also on Larch Street. There was also moderate damage to the home across the street from the fire on Merrick Street as well as one down the road.

On top of dealing with multiple structure fires 2 vehicles in the driveway at 24 Merrick Street were also consumed by flames.

Residents of the neighborhood had only seconds to run from their buildings as they were consumed by what one resident described as “hell”. There was reports of at least one injury as a man grabbed his granddaughter and had to run through his living room already on fire to escape the home. He suffered burns to his back and was treated on scene.

Fire Investigators as well as Federal Agents from the ATF are digging through the rubble with the help of an excavator to try and find a cause for the blaze.