Family displaced after two-alarm fire at residential building in Dorchester

Firefighters responded to a two-alarm fire at a building in Dorchester, the Boston Fire Department said.

The department said they responded to a two-and-a-half story residential building on Victoria Street around 3:42 p.m. for a reported building fire.

Boston Fire said the building was occupied, and a second alarm was ordered.

"I heard noises first and I smelled something and the smoke started pouring in," Jaqueline Melick, who was home when the fire began, said. "It all happened in the matter of a minute or two.”

Melick, who is recovering after a bout with cancer, said she was in her second-floor bedroom when the fire started.

"I looked at the top of the dresser by the bathroom, and the top was on fire," Melick said.

Neighbors who know the family rushed to help when they saw the smoke coming from the home.

“We smelled some smoke, and we took a look and saw some of the smoke coming out," Anthony Miranda said. "So, I took the fire extinguisher. It was pretty bad. We didn’t see flames, but it was very thick smoke.”

In the meantime, Melick's husband Jonathan rushed home, worried about his wife.

"She is just recovering from all this, so I was afraid she may have had trouble getting out," Jonathan Melick said.

The department then updated the situation nine minutes later after the initial information was released, saying all residents were safely evacuated and the fire was knocked down.

Jaqueline Melick got out on her own, along with a tenant on the third floor, all as firefighters flooded the street to quickly contain the fire.

“You get a heavy response because of population density in the city of Boston," Boston Fire PIO Marc Sanders said. "Our plan is to come in aggressive to prevent any spread."

No injuries were reported at the time of the incident.

Boston Fire said there was approximately $500,000 in damages, and the Melick family was left without the place they called home for more than three decades.

"I'm in shock," Jonathan Melick said. "I've lived here for 35 years, I can't imagine living elsewhere."

Cox Media Group