BOSTON — Boston firefighters battled a six-alarm fire at the old grandstand at Suffolk Downs Monday night.
Boston Fire Commissioner Jack Dempsey said the flames broke out around 10 pm. When firefighters got to the scene, there was a lot of smoke in the old grandstand, especially in the top floors where the simulcasting area is. The building was open for simulcasting, but was closed when the fire started and no one was inside.
Dempsey told Boston 25 firefighters had a difficult time getting enough water on the building and had to run thousands of feet of hose. While firefighters had a challenging time getting water to the fire, they did utilize their drone to help them pinpoint exactly where to attack the flames.
“We can get a bird’s eye view of the whole building and it actually has thermal imaging so we can see if the fire is traveling in the roof section, underneath the roof, so we can see if its spreading farther down the building so we can really isolate where we’re targeting,” Dempsey said.
After Suffolk Downs lost their casino bid to Encore, a developer bought the former racetrack site with plans to turn it into a life science space with retail and housing. Construction has begun, but the track has remained open to the public.
In a statement, the HYM Investment Group said, “We are grateful to the Boston Fire Department and all of the emergency personnel for their quick response. The fire did not impact the area of Suffolk Downs currently under construction and redevelopment of the site remains ongoing.”
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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