Horror as pristine $2m Victorian mansion on 'America's prettiest street' goes up in flames
At around 1.30am early Wednesday morning, a firefighter returning from another call discovered the 175-year-old Victorian-style home on Summer Avenue in Reading's historic district completely engulfed in flames, according to Boston 25 News.
The emergency responder immediately called for backup, and crews launched a hours-long battle to contain the massive blaze.
The 3,670 square foot mansion was under construction and had been vacant for some time, so the scorching inferno caused no injuries - only extensive property damage.
When crews arrived, they quickly realized that a large fully-detached barn was also on fire.
Fire officials have since revealed that the barn, located behind the home, was the first to catch fire and burn to the ground, which then caused part of the house to reignite and become fully engulfed in the flaming horror, NBC 10 News reported.
In a harrowing video shared to X by NBC's April Baker, bright orange flames engulfed a section of the roof, sending hot embers swirling into the air as thick, dark plumes of smoke filled the sky.
'Firefighters have ladder trucks working to extinguish the roof/cupola,' Baker wrote on X while at the scene.
Heavy flames shooting out of home on 194 Summer Street in Reading. Firefighters have ladder trucks working to extinguish the roof/cupola. We plan to have an update from the Reading Fire soon. @boston25 pic.twitter.com/e9CC84jV6G
— April Baker (@AprilBakertv) July 9, 2025
Additional footage from NBC 10 showed flames bursting from a window of the home, as firefighters from at least one neighboring town joined the Reading Fire Department in battling its force.
Firefighters initially aimed to launch an interior attack, which involves entering the burning building to tackle the flames directly.
However, due to the ongoing construction inside, they were forced to switch to an exterior attack.
'When companies went to the inside of the building to try and attack the fire, they found construction debris and some hazards and the high heat low visibility, so they were unable to continue the interior attack,' Fire Chief Richard Nelson told Boston 25.
The barn was completely destroyed in the blaze, with new footage showing a smoldering pile of debris and branches where it once stood.
As of early Wednesday afternoon, firefighters were still on the property - more than nine hours after first arriving to battle the firestorm, according to a second video recently shared by Baker on X.
In the footage, crews are seen operating the truck as the fire appears to have died down, with no visible flames - only lingering dark smoke billowing from the roof into the sky.
A large yellow hose stretched across the grass, with several emergency vehicles and at least one tent lined up along the nearby road. At least ten firefighters also appeared to remain on scene, spread out across the property.
Although the home sustained 'serious' damage, it's still unclear whether it will be declared a total loss, Baker reported.
Fire officials said crews will remain on scene for several more hours as they continue to monitor hot spots, Boston 25 News reported.
The five-bedroom, one-bathroom home, built in 1848, was sold in 2023 to Reading resident and real estate developer Dennis O'Neil, along with neighboring resident Jerry Lamb, according to Wilson Wolfe Real Estate.
Despite years of debate and controversy surrounding its sale, the pair have already enlisted several service providers to restore the property to its former glory - hence the active construction underway at the time of the fire.
Judy Richard, a local resident, told Boston 25 that the pair had been working on renovating the property for nearly two years, with plans to put it on the market once the restoration was complete.
'We watched them restore all of the top with all the copper roofing and just the new windows, the sanding and painting, I mean it was all done by hand,' Richard told the outlet. 'Like old artisan carpentry work, so it was beautiful.'
'Doing all of the hand sanding, restoring everything back to its former glory,' she added.
'I'm really hoping they'll be able to rebuild at least something that fits the community.'
The State Fire Marshal has since launched a full investigation into the cause of the devastating inferno.
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