Photos: Great Chelsea Fire: Saturday marks 50 years since devastating blaze destroyed 56 city businesses
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Great Chelsea Fire: Saturday marks 50 years since devastating blaze destroyed 56 city businesses October 14 1973 / fromthearchive / Globe staff photo by David L. Ryan / Chelsea firemen fight the blaze at some junk shop businesses on 2nd Avenue. The fire devastated 18 city blocks and destroyed an estimated 303 buildings leaving more than 600 persons unemployed. (David L. Ryan, Globe staff/The Boston Globe)
Great Chelsea Fire: Saturday marks 50 years since devastating blaze destroyed 56 city businesses October 14 1973 / Globe Staff Photo by Bill Brett / Chelsea, Mass / Fire 1973 / Smoke billows over the bridge from the fire in the town. (Bill Brett, Globe Staff/The Boston Globe)
Great Chelsea Fire: Saturday marks 50 years since devastating blaze destroyed 56 city businesses October 15 1973 / fromthearchive / Globe staff photo by Joseph Dennehy / The day after picture of the Great Chelsea Fire of 1973 shows the total devastation caused by the the fire. The fire area was almost entirely within the perimeters of two urban renewal projects - a planned $14.6 million industrial park and a proposed $2.3 million residential project. (Joseph Dennehy, Globe Staff/The Boston Globe)
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