Mayday call helps firefighters escape as 2 homes burn in Chelsea
CHELSEA - Two triple-decker homes were severely damaged by a fire in Chelsea Friday that prompted a mayday call.
It started shortly after 11:30 a.m. on the back porch of a home on Maverick Street before the flames spread to a second triple-decker next door.
"Oh there's a big fire, there's a big fire," said Nicole Urrutia, who lived in one of the homes. "We rushed out the house with as much as we could, so we just got a sweater, my grandma got her purse. And when we came outside, we just saw big flames. There was a huge flame that just started getting bigger and bigger."
Chelsea's fire chief confirmed a mayday call was made at one point as firefighters were searching the second floor in one of the buildings.
"Conditions rapidly deteriorated and they were rescued by the ground ladder from the right hand side of the building," said Chelsea Fire Chief Leonard Albanese. "They all made it out safely, they all returned to work."
Firefighters confirmed no one was seriously hurt and everyone made it out safely. It's unclear how many people have been displaced.
"Everybody was working so nobody was home," said Siliva Palacious, who lived in one of the homes. "Everybody was out safe, so I think that's the most important part."
There's no word yet on how or where the fire started. Thirty-five people were displaced in all and they're being assisted by the Red Cross.
