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8 homes impacted by Boston multi-alarm fire, 7 families displaced

BOSTON — Firefighters in Boston battled a 9-alarm fire at a home that affected seven homes, displacing seven families.

According to the Boston Fire Department, the fire started at around 4:45 p.m. on Saturday at 39 Old Morton Street on the Dorchester/Mattapan line.

When crews responded to the scene, heavy fire and smoke could be seen billowing from the roof and 3 alarms had been struck. Just before 6 p.m., the fire had officially escalated to a 9th alarm.

Initial investigation suggests the fire started at a vacant building which then spread to several adjacent buildings. Fire officials say the home was under construction.

Three other adjacent buildings were affected by the multi-alarm blaze. Because the homes sit so close to one another, flames spread quickly, burning through eight buildings in total.

"There was heavy fire in the [first building to catch fire] and then it spread to the houses on either side of it, the houses on the rear and a couple houses across the street," said Boston Fire Chief of Operations John Walsh. "We were dealing with all that at the same time, that’s why heavy command power came in."

Boston EMS says nine people were transported to area hospitals with injuries, while six others were evaluated on scene but were not transported. Of the injured people, seven were firefighters while two were residents.

Fire officials say they're unsure of the condition of the firefighters who had to be hospitalized.

The Red Cross responded to the fire as well. According to a news release, seven families have been affected by the fire.

Residents watched in fear as more than 150 firefighters worked to put out the fire and smoke amid windy conditions.

"It was very hard to see very hard to breathe, there was so much thick smoke," said Christopher Rosado, a neighbor.

"It was quite scary to see all that smoke and to see all that fire," said Angela, a neighbor.

A shelter for the victims of this fire has been set up at 61 Woodruff Way in Mattapan.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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