DORCHESTER, Mass — Boston fire officials say at least 35 people have been displaced after a fast-moving fire in Dorchester.
The flames ignited on Labor Day around 3:30 p.m. at a multi-family home on Holiday Street.
The fire quickly spread to other nearby homes, and the back porches of the home where the fire started collapsed.
Heavy fire in the rear 37 Holiday St Dor that extended to the building next door and the rear . A 4th alarm has been ordered. pic.twitter.com/XKrhIF4Hap
— Boston Fire Dept. (@BostonFire) September 4, 2023
A total of five homes were damaged.
All of the affected residents made it out safely.
In a photo shared on social media, firefighters could be seen dousing the smoking and collapsed remains of the back porches of 37 Holliday Street with water.
The rear porches of 37 Holiday St have collapsed, all companies are working. pic.twitter.com/2cQhq8zI3h
— Boston Fire Dept. (@BostonFire) September 4, 2023
Of the five buildings impacted by the roaring flames, two of them are expected to be total losses, according to Boston fire officials.
Heavy fire knocked down on all 3 buildings, major overhauling throughout . pic.twitter.com/iC2SS9YYkj
— Boston Fire Dept. (@BostonFire) September 4, 2023
Firefighters credited a group of neighbors who pounded on doors to alert everyone in the burning buildings.
“We all bum-rushed the doors to try and kick the doors open. We got one door open but couldn’t get it in. We yelled, yelled, yelled. Nobody answered. We went next door to the next house and tried to kick open those doors,” Mac Brown told Boston 25 News. “There was at least eight or nine people going into each house.”
The inferno turned a relaxing holiday afternoon into a frantic effort to save lives.
Firefighters responded to the scene in a matter of minutes and got the flames out in less than an hour.
“Thank god there wasn’t a lot of wind today because the overall fire ended up damaging five buildings,” said BFD Chief of Operations Rodney Marshall.
Marshall said four pets remained missing at sundown.
One firefighter sustained minor injuries in the fire.
Residents in the neighborhood gathered to watch as crews from several fire trucks extended ladders to douse the roof of one building with water.
Fire crews also deployed a drone to get a bird’s eye view of the flames.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
©2023 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7QOJU3BNCJERBNKJC5LWTBYFLU.png)
