December 11, 2025 marks 30 years since the massive fire at the Malden Mills textile factory in Lawrence that hurt 30 people, with four suffering serious injuries.
A boiler exploded, sparking the flames, and the wind made containing the fire extremely difficult.
“We could see large embers going up into the 40 mile-per-hour winds and half sheets of sheet rock traveling, we found embers miles away,” said Kenneth Bourass, who was the Methuen Fire Chief at the time. “These buildings were like the size of a football field and there was three of them. They were huge.”
Seven hundred people were working when the fire broke out. More than 200 firefighters from nearby communities responded.
Bourass, who is now retired, became emotional while reflecting on their efforts to put out one of the state’s most devastating fires.
“My guys were so great,” he recalled. “Until we looked back and saw our friends coming. The mutual aid system is fantastic. As much dedication I want to say about my people, those people were fantastic also.”
Bourass said they were concerned the fire would spread to a nearby residential area, but only one building outside of the complex was damaged.
Now three decades later, Bourass said he is thankful for the hard work of each firefighter who battled that historic blaze.
“It is pretty horrific sometimes to be a firefighter. We need each other to watch each others’ back and to make sure they are okay,” he said. “People forget how fast and how easy things can happen and I think a lot of people take life for granted.”
After the fire, the Lawrence community came together to help employees who were out of work two weeks before Christmas. The mill’s owner used the insurance money to pay employees while the plant was reconstructed.
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