Historic mansion heavily damaged by massive 5 alarm fire in Northbridge, Massachusetts

A massive fire tore through a 23-bedroom historic mansion in Northbridge, Massachusetts.

The fire at the Whitin Lasell Manor, which is more than 100 years old, started just after 1 a.m., fire officials said.

7 people were living inside the manor that has stood on Hill Street since 1890. All escaped safely.

Firefighters encountered heavy flames on the second and third floors of the manor when crews arrived. 2nd and 3rd alarms were quickly struck bringing in mutual aid to the scene. The fire eventually grew to 5 alarms.

The building with wood frame construction has many void spaces allowed the fire to spread rapidly causing firefighters to fight the blaze defensively. It took almost 3.5 hours to bring the fire under control.

No injuries were reported. The town highway department salted the fireground as temperatures dipped into the mid teens, making operations at the scene very slippery.