10 Relocated After Overnight Fire At Dorchester Home
DORCHESTER (CBS) -- Ten residents of a Dorchester triple-decker have been relocated after an overnight fire.
The fire began just before 11:30 p.m. Tuesday on Ellington Street in Dorchester.
"Wow, that was pretty intense."
Daylight revealed damage to the triple-decker from the overnight blaze.
"It was pretty scary cause it was pretty close to my house. It got me a little worried."
Byrianna Hallcater lives behind the Ellington Street home and saw firefighters rushing to put out the flames and rescue the people inside.
"I saw firemen coming. They had the fire hose out. They were still trying to get people out of the building and there was a whole bunch of them," Hallcater told WBZ.
Boston Fire officials say smoking material dropped below the first floor porch and landed on top of a mattress, fueling flames that reached all the way to the third floor.
"The back porch went up in flames. It was pretty sad."
When fire crews arrived, they found heavy fire showing from the rear porches of the home, and the fire went to two alarms.
Officials say ten people were forced out of three different apartments. The building houses people part of a non-profit organization that provides services to those with disabilities, drug and alcohol addiction, and mental illness.
Employees from Bay Cove Human Services stopped by the home this morning to retrieve some belongings from inside. The Red Cross also provided assistance to the ten residents initially displaced by the fire.
In an emailed statement to WBZ, Bill Sprague, president and CEO of Bay Cove, expressed his gratitude for both first responders and the fact no one was injured.
"We are relieved that the residents of the house on Ellington Street are all safe, and are grateful to the Boston Fire Department for their efforts in responding to this incident. We don't yet know how long it will be until the house can be reoccupied. All of the residents have been temporary relocated, and we are working with each of them on longer-term solutions until the house is habitable."
Neighbors are sad to see so many people lose their home during the holiday season, but are relieved to hear everyone is okay.
"The things you have in your house, you can replace it. Might not be easy to replace, but you can't replace yourself but its more important they got out of there okay," Hallcater said.
The damage to the home is estimated around $250,000.
