Two-alarm fire on Calvary Street

WALTHAM - Firefighters battled a fire Friday afternoon that heavily damaged two apartments inside a Calvary Street multi-family home.
Just after noon, the first-floor apartment in a four-unit house at 20 Calvary St. caught fire.
According to Deputy Chief Michael Quinn, "the fire originated in the first floor ceiling area. It extended to the second and third floors on the left side of the house."
No one was injured during the two-alarm fire, said Quinn.
It was not immediately known how the fire started.
"It’s under investigation. It’s too soon to tell," said Quinn.
As crews battled the blaze and heavy smoke conditions, several second and third floor windows were smashed by firefighters to provide access to the second and third floors. Two ladder trucks were extended to the second floor and crews rolled out five water lines.
A combination of eight ladder trucks and engines responded to the scene.  
Two of the apartments on the left side of the building were damaged heavily by fire and water, said Quinn. The remaining two apartments were smoke damaged.
Fausto Fernandez, whose family rents one of the apartments inside the home that was not severely damaged during the fire, stood across the street while crews worked.
Fernandez said his uncle, who was outside when the fire began, lives in the first floor apartment where the blaze started. His uncle was the first person to notice the fire inside the apartment and immediately called 911, said Fernandez.
Everyone who was inside the building got out quickly, he added.
Carol and Rick Mazzola stood outside in the freezing rain and wind to watch as firefighters worked.
The couple lives directly behind the building on Liverpool Lane.
Based on their observations, "it started in the kitchen. We could see fire. That was the first place (firefighters) entered," said Rick Mazzola, pointing to the second floor rear window.
"It just happened so quick. We wanted to make sure everyone was out," he said.
After firefighters had extinguished the flames and secured the area, tenants living on the right side of the building were allowed to survey the damage.
Kerri Roche can be reached at kroche@cnc.com or 781-398-8009.