By BDN staff

Burlington firefighters say they controlled a major apartment house fire on Archibald Street this weekend. 

Shortly before midnight on Saturday, June 6, the Burlington Fire Department was dispatched to a reported structure fire at 71 Archibald Street. Many callers reported visible fire coming from the building.

Upon arrival, crews from Ladder 2 observed heavy fire at the rear of the structure. 

A complete 360-degree assessment of the building revealed heavy fire involvement at the rear, with fire extending into the roof and toward the front. At the time of the fire, the residence was occupied by many people.

Working alongside the Burlington Police Department and arriving fire units, all occupants safely self-evacuated through the front door. No civilian rescues were required.

Firefighters deployed both a 1¾-inch attack line and a 2½-inch attack line to the rear of the building, where the bulk of the fire was located. Crews quickly knocked down the majority of the fire in that area. 

A 1¾-inch attack line was then advanced to the second-floor rear of the residence, where firefighters encountered significant fire within the ceiling and roof void spaces. A second 1¾-inch attack line was stretched from the front of the building to the second floor to continue interior fire suppression efforts.

Simultaneously, crews conducted a primary search of the residence to ensure all occupants had safely exited. Additional firefighters were assigned to the Charlie/Delta sides of the structure to protect neighboring exposures using hose lines and an elevated master stream operated from Ladder 4.

After an aggressive and coordinated firefighting operation, the fire was declared under control at 1:10 a.m.

There were no reported civilian injuries. Any firefighter injuries and the cause of the fire remain under investigation at this time by the Burlington Fire Department Fire Marshal.