9-Alarm Fire Roars Through Three Cambridge Three-Deckers
CAMBRIDGE (CBS/AP) – Authorities say a nine-alarm fire in Cambridge spread to three apartment buildings on Allston Street but caused no injuries.
The Cambridge Fire Department says the fire in the Cambridgeport neighborhood between Pearl and Brookline streets was reported just before 3:30 a.m. Sunday and quickly moved from two alarms to nine.
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Cambridge Police Department spokesman Jeremy Warnick said homes in the area are close together, and the heavy response was a precaution. He said one of the three buildings was vacant.
At one point firefighters were ordered out of the buildings.
Assistant Fire Chief Gerry Mahoney said the fire started in the vacant building. Investigators have not yet determined the cause.
In total, 29 residents were displaced, five multi-family residences were destroyed and 15 others were deemed uninhabitable, according to the Red Cross. Several residents have already returned to their homes.
Warnick said the Red Cross has set up a temporary shelter at the nearby Morse School for displaced residents or those who need support.
Richard Kennedy, whose mother owned the home, said he was thankful his mother was out visiting her sister when the flames broke out.
"If she was in her bedroom, she would have died," Kennedy said. "She would not have been able to get out of the front of the house."
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