Boston Firefighters Battle Blaze At Back Bay High Rise
BOSTON (CBS) - The careless disposal of smoking material sparked a large fire inside a condominium building on Massachusetts Avenue in Boston on Saturday.
Firefighters were called just after 2 p.m. to the building at 31 Mass. Ave, which is right at the corner of Beacon Street.
According to Boston Fire officials, flames started on the fifth floor of the building and quickly spread to the sixth floor.
Dozens of firefighters were called in to help knock down the fire, which went to five alarms. Several roads in the area were shut so crews could get at the fire.
According to Deputy Chief Joseph Fleming, the building is "not fully sprinklered" and does not have a standpipe. Firefighters were forced to drag hoses up five floors.
"It got pretty nasty up there for the guys, and it's a very narrow hallway," Fleming said. "Fortunately the weather was with us, it wasn't windy."
Two firefighters were transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Mayor Marty Walsh showed up at the scene to support fire crews. "As people are running out of the building, they are running into the building," Walsh said. "I'm proud of the work they did here today."
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Kim Tunnicliffe Reports
No civilians were injured.
The building houses 30 different units. The fire caused an estimated $2.5 million in damage and displaced 40 residents.