Man rescued from Saugus fire, home destroyed

SAUGUS, Mass. -- An 84-year-old man narrowly escaped a fire that tore through his second-story home early Wednesday morning.

Police arrived at the scene on Mount Vernon Street where wind whipped flames made for heavy fire conditions.

"It was a very serious fire, in a very big old house and the fire just ripped right through it, right up to the roof," said Chief Jim Blanchard, of the Saugus Fire Dept.

The resident was trapped on the second floor of the home.

A neighbor brought a ladder over and police raised it up to the man so he could escape.

The rescued man had no reported injuries, but his home was completely destroyed by the blaze.

Fire officials are investigating the cause of the fire.

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