BY MATT HERSH

A four-alarm fire significantly damaged a Salem office building on Thursday, Jan. 25.

The fire started in a second floor wall behind a clothes dryer at 53 Stiles Road.  Fire officials said a lint buildup likely started the blaze.

Since the series of condominium-style offices were built in the 1980s, they predated the town’s requirement for sprinkler systems.

In addition, the fire easily spread throughout the building due to its construction, according to Deputy Fire Chief Jeff Emanuelson.

“There was a large volume of space with lots of combustible materials,” he said.  “It spread rapidly.”

By the time Emanuelson arrived on the scene at 12:26 p.m., everyone had been evacuated and flames were
coming out of the asphalt roof.

Emanuelson said he immediately called for more firefighters.

By the end of the day, firefighters from eight towns in New Hampshire and Massachusetts responded.

The fire raged for most of the afternoon, collapsing a portion of the building’s roof. 

Shortly before the roof caved in, firefighters were evacuated from the building for safety reasons, Fire Chief Kevin Breen said.

“We knew the roof wasn’t going to hold,” he said.  “It was an imminent collapse.” 

From the parking lot, the building’s employees and other onlookers watched as the fire tore through the office.

Among them was Cindy Cabral, the owner of Visage Day Spa, where the fire originated.

“I smelled it coming from the dryer, and I poured vases of water on it,” she said.  “It looked like it was out, but the next thing you know, everything went up and was engulfed in flames.”

Cabral said she yelled for everyone in her office to get out of the building before stopping to call 911.  Emanuelson said the call came in at 12:23 and he was there three minutes later.

Emanuelson said Cabral was able to put out the flames inside the dryer but they had already spread inside the walls.

“She attempted to extinguish it, but by that point, it was too late,” he said.

The building’s alarm system sounded for only a short time because the wires melted, Emanuelson said.

Still, the sound was enough to get everyone out of the building, including Pattie Burke, who watched from the parking lot in disbelief.

“I heard the alarm go off and we all got out,” she said.  “I just hope everything isn’t lost.”

Burke was joined by Barry Finegold and Bill Dalton, who own Gold Title, which was destroyed in the fire.

“This is unbelievable,” Dalton said as he watched some firefighters spout water onto the roof while others smashed glass windows.  “The business will be all right.  I’m just glad everyone got out.”

Finegold, who is also a Massachusetts state representative, said his employees in Salem will relocate to their office in Andover, Mass.

Salem fought the fire with the help of departments from Derry, Londonderry, Windham, Kingston, Hapsead, Hudson and Plaistow in New Hampshire and Haverhill, Lawrence, and Methuen in Massachusetts.

Firefighters worked with some of the office’s employees to retrieve undamaged items but the building is being considered a loss, Emanuelson said.

“This is the largest fire we’ve seen in the last five or six years,” he said.

Fire crews remained at the building until 2 a.m., putting out hotspots and making sure it was secure, Emanuelson said.