"All my life has gone in flames"

LOWELL, MA -- A three-alarm fire roared through a Highlands residence last night and left 10 people homeless.

Flames forced firefighters to evacuate the two-family home at 89-91 C St. twice.


They were hampered by congested roadways and an outdated hydrant that couldn't supply enough water, said Fire Chief William Desrosiers.


Usman Boateng said he bought the two-story house in 2003. He was home when somebody came upstairs warning him to escape about 6:05 p.m.

The immigrant from Ghana owns his own small business and lives upstairs with his family, but his three children are vacationing in Africa and weren't home.


"Everything has gone in flames," he said, as firefighters battled the blaze. "All my life has gone in flames. I work so hard in my life and now everything is gone in flames."


A family of five lived in the downstairs unit, said Alan Richardson of the American Red Cross. Their names weren't immediately available and a woman who said she lived there was too distraught to talk about what happened.