Two Medway families displaced by fire in apartment complex

By Melissa M. Werthmann, Globe Correspondent

Two families were displaced Monday by a two-alarm fire that destroyed parts of a Medway apartment complex, Fire Chief Jeffrey P. Lynch said. The fire broke out Monday afternoon in the kitchen of a first-floor apartment at 119 Maple Lane because a combustible was kept too close to the stove, Lynch said. It took 20 minutes for firefighters to get the blaze under control in the six-unit building. The fire caused extensive damage in the first-floor apartment, he said. The occupants of the apartment where the fire started were unable to return home and are staying with family, the chief said. The occupants of an adjacent apartment were also unable to return home because of smoke damage and are being assisted by the American Red Cross, Lynch said. He said it is unclear whether the apartments had smoke detectors.