Four-alarm fire rages at Peabody apartment complex; hundreds evacuated

(Jonathon Whitmore for The Boston Globe)

Watching the blaze from a safe vantage point.

By Erin S. Ailworth, Globe Staff

A four-alarm fire engulfed a luxury apartment building near the intersection of Route 1 and Route 128 in Peabody this afternoon. No injuries were reported, but all the buildings in the surrounding complex were ordered evacuated for the night, displacing 900 to 1,000 people, fire officials said.

The fire, whipped by the wind, raced through a 26-unit building at the Highlands at Dearborn complex as firefighters struggled with water pressure problems, said Fire Chief Steven Pasdon.

Pasdon said no cause had been officially determined for the blaze, but fire officials were investigating whether it had been caused by a natural gas leak.

Orange flames whipped by the wind could be seen tearing through the building late this afternoon. A blizzard of ashes flew through the air, sometimes igniting small fires in the mulch used to landscape the grounds. Black smoke billowed, while firefighters trained a hose on the blaze.

Ben Bellucci pointed to the burned-out top level of the building and said, "That's my bedroom right there. It's where you can see right through."

He said a roommate had called to tell him the building was being evacuated. When he asked if he could get his personal belongings, his roommate said it was already too late.

John Croke, 55, watched the building burn from a safe vantage point in the woods at the edge of the complex. He said his building, adjacent to the one on fire, had been evacuated.

"I got my cats out an hour ago, with the help of the firemen," he said. "The apartment was totally filled with smoke."

Croke said he learned about the fire when a friend called him at work in Beverly. "They told me they saw my apartment complex going up in flames," he said.

Pasdon said there were some reports of pets having been trapped in the blaze.

Smoke from the fire, which broke out about 4 p.m., was visible from miles away. People stopped by the side of Interstate 95, snapping pictures with their cellphone cameras.

Mira Muniz, 28, a resident of the complex, had taken refuge at a restaurant off of nearby Route 1. She said she was at work when her mother and father called her about the fire.

Her building wasn't hit by the fire, but it was filled with smoke so she was going to relocate to her parents' home in New Hampshire.

She said there was a harrowing moment when she went back to pack up some belongings.

"It's smoky in there and when I was gathering up clothes and stuff they shut off the power," she said.

Aerial footage showed a large, cream-colored four-story building gradually burning down to the ground.

Highlands at Dearborn is a luxury apartment complex with amenities including a swimming pool and business center, according to its website.

The property is managed by Simpson Property Group, which did not immediately return messages seeking comment. The apartment complex includes one-, two-, and three-bedroom units which lease for up to $2,107 each month.

The complex offers "High Style... High Speed ... High Life," according to the website.

A woman who answered the phone at the Highlands at Dearborn local office late this afternoon said, "Oh, I'm sorry. No comment," and then hung up.

The Daily Item of Lynn reported today on its website that a fire at the complex on March 8, 2007 destroyed two apartments in a three-story building and required evacuation of residents from 22 units.

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