The fire was so strong that Chief Grafton struck a third alarm shortly after arriving on scene, bringing additional mutual aid support from numerous nearby communities, including Reading, Winchester, Wakefield, Melrose, North Reading, Saugus, Medford, Burlington, Wilmington, Malden and Woburn Fire Departments. Upon arrival, firefighters initiated a search of the building but were pushed back by extreme heat once they reached the third floor, which soon became fully engulfed in flames, forcing firefighters to evacuate due to safety concerns. “It made it up in the walls and the attic, and was basically coming through the roof and the whole top floor ignited so we had to go to a defensive attack,” Stoneham Fire Chief Matt Grafton said.