QUINCY, MASS. (WHDH) - Dozens of people are without a home after a massive five-alarm blaze quickly engulfed and destroyed a cluster of commercial, residential, and mixed-use buildings near Wollaston Station on Tuesday morning.
The fire, which broke out on the 300 block of Newport Avenue, was reported at about 9:30 a.m. Despite a massive emergency response, four buildings were reduced to rubble.
Firefighters who were first on the scene were able to rush 20 people from their homes thanks to a passing taxi driver who alerted them to the blaze.
“I was going to pick somebody up, come up over the hill, and saw the building was on fire,” Jeff Green said. “I went over to the firehouse, told them they had a fire, and they took it from there.”
Video from Sky7 HD showed heavy flames shooting from the top of the buildings and thick smoke overtaking the area as firefighters from several surrounding communities battled the raging blaze from high up on ladders and from the ground.
“You see the red fire from the window, and you feel the heat and the smoke,” one neighborhood resident told 7News. “It was very scary.”
Forty people in total were forced from their homes. They are being assisted by the Red Cross.
Authorities believe the flames started in a building that was under construction. That building, which was empty at the time, collapsed in the fire. A trio of other buildings were severely damaged.
One firefighter suffered a minor hand injury during the battle. No other injuries were reported.
Motorists were urged to avoid the area as crews worked to overhaul the wreckage.
The buildings will likely be torn down at some point in the coming days.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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