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

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