Page 10, Fire News, March 2014
FireNews.com
7-Alarmer in Boston’s Back Bay
On February 1, 2014, the Boston Fire Department responded to a building fire on Massachusetts Avenue. Ladder-15 arrived to find fire showing from the fifth and sixth floors of a six-story occupied dwelling. Shortly thereafter a second alarm was struck. Interior crews found heavy fire on the fifth floor, and reported no standpipes in the building. A third alarm was then struck bringing multiple companies to the scene. Crews accessed narrow alleyways on the D side and in the building’s rear. Interior crews made an aggressive attack and battled heavy fire conditions on the fifth floor. Once a ladder was positioned at the rear of the building, a handline was carried up and firefighters battled the fire from the exterior, knocking down heavy fire. Around 1445 hours a fourth alarm was struck by Deputy Chief Flemming. After the fourth alarm, Engine-3
reported that they were having trouble evacuating off the sixth floor on the C side of the building. They requested a “big line” to knock down the heavy fire in their way. All companies were able to evacuate the building without incident. The fire ultimately went to seven alarms. At the height of the fire the front of the building had four ladders, and one tower stretched to the top of the building. The rear of the building had one ladder stretched to the fifth floor. The fire displaced 40-residents and injured three firefighters. The Boston Fire Department reported that the cause of the fire was careless disposal of smoking materials on the fifth floor. The building was completely uninhabitable following the blaze. - Fire News photos by Pat Travers, Bill Noonan and Tim Gorman