Man Escapes Burning Car

Firefighters knocked down the roaring car fire, stopping its spread to the adjacent Swampscott Mall late Tuesday atfernoon.

  A New Hampshire man escaped a burning car that was parked behind the Swampscott Mall Tuesday afternoon shortly about 5. The car was right next to the building, behind the Home Goods store. Police evacuated Home Goods and a nearby salon, according to scanner reports. Swampscott firefighters arriving to the scene saw the car engulfed in flames that rose to a height equal with the building's roof line, said Capt. Remo Zimbaldi. Firefighters turned their water hoses on the car, knocking down the 12-foot-high flames, the fire captain said. A Lynn fire crew checked the interior of the building with a thermal imaging camera to see if the fire had spread. A Swampscott fire crew climbed a ladder to the roof and checked for fire extension. The …

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Gateway Building Construction to Start Soon

One of the former tenants, Raina's Hair Color Cafe, will return to the Humphrey/Redington property.

  It has been nine months since fire destroyed the original Gateway building at Humphrey and Redington. The due date for construction to start on the replacement building is any time now, says Jayne Orloff-Carey, whose family owns the property. She expects contruction to start this month — weather permitting. The family has all its building approvals in place. And they satisfied a condition of approval by meeting with a group of parents whose children attend Hadley School. Among the parents' concerns was the worry that trucks moving on and off the construction site might endanger Hadley School children. The elementary school is located right next to the Gateway property. The property owner said she met with Hadley Principal Sandra Rivers …

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Help For Family Left Homeless by Fire

Neighbor Cindy Cavallaro is coordinating the help effort for the family of five who lost all their belongings in Wednesday's fire at 84 Pine St.

  The family burned out of their residence at 84 Pine St. on Wednesday night had moved in four days earlier, said neighbor Cindy Cavallaro. "They left the house with the clothes on their backs and the shoes on their feet," she said. Their losses include the new furniture that had been delivered to the house. The mother didn't even have a coat when she was standing outside the home Wednesday night so the neighbor took off her white coat and gave it to the woman. The family, who prefers to remain anonymous, is a mother and father and three boys — a teenager and two children between 6-8 years old. They are staying with a relative. Those who want to help can find out how by visiting Cindy Cavallaro's facebook.

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UPDATED: Fire Erupts in Pine Street Home

Firefighters knocked down the flames, containing the fire to the home's first floor.

Wednesday night's fire at 84 Pine St. was accidental, said Swampscott fire Capt. Remo Zimbaldi. Fire erupted in the kitchen shortly before 9:30 pm Wednesday and smoke blanketed the home and street. Smoke, water and fire damage left the 2 1/2-story home uninhabitable for the couple and their three children. The family is staying with a relative, according to neighbor Cindy Cavallaro, who is coordinating a help drive for the family. About 12 hours earlier, firefighters knocked down flames before they could spread from the kitchen to second-floor bedrooms. Firefighters ripped out cabinets and cut into the wall and ceiling to chase down hidden hotspots and prevent the fire's spread upward, Swampscott fire Lt. Bob Surette said earlier. No …

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VIDEO: Tree on House at Estabrook

No injuries were reported. The power remained on and the utility pole was leaning right. National Grid was notified.

The tree came down about 11 a.m. at 6 Estabrook. No injuries reported. The power remained on and the utility pole was leaning right. National Grid was notified.

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After the Blaze

After the Blaze 1: Jessica's Nails and Spa

The first story in the After the Blaze series looks at Jessica Xiong, who lost both her business and her apartment in the March 1 blaze that destroyed the Gateway Building.

A month after the fire, Jessica Xiong knew she would reopen her business. Until then survival — food, shelter and work — was her focus. The March 1 fire had destroyed her Humphrey Street workplace, Jessica's Nails and Spa, and her upstairs apartment. She lost money, jewelry, family heirlooms and photographs, clothes. Everything. Starting March 2, her customers and friends arrived. They saw to it that she survived. They gave her checks and gift cards for food and clothes. A friend found her space to work at Artistic Nails, in Swampscott. The help continued for weeks after the fire. All the help brought a realization. "I knew I would open the business," she said. "People backed me up with their hearts." Xiong has a list that she carries …

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What Would You Like For the Gateway Replacement?

Each week Swampscott Patch asks residents to weigh in on a particular question, posted as a Facebook poll. This week's question asks about the Humphrey Street replacement for the Gateway building that burned in March.

This week's Facebook poll asks readers what they would like to see on the Gateway property, the lot at the corner of Humphrey and Redington streets. Here is the question. Follow the link below to answer it.    What would you most like to see in the lot on the Gateway property at Humphrey and Redington streets? The Orloff family is bringing forth a proposed commercial building with room for six businesses. The Planning Board will hear their formal proposal next month.

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Adrift Tubers Rescued Off Preston Beach

Marblehead firefighters and the town's harbormaster responded to the area of Preston Beach Monday afternoon to rescue tubers who had drifted too far from shore.

Three area residents who drifted too far from shore Monday afternoon were rescued in the waters off Preston Beach by members of the local fire department and the town's harbormaster. According to Fire Capt. Michael Porter, at 11:42 a.m., fire units responded to a report of three people on tubes who had drifted away from Preston Beach. Porter said a 12-year-old boy in an inflatable tube either fell asleep or wasn't paying attention when he drifted away from shore. The fact that he was unaware that he was adrift, Porter said, prompted a 16-year-old girl he was with to swim out to rescue him. "He either fell asleep or he was listening to some tunes or something," Porter said. "So she swam out there and got onto the tube with him." After …

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