REVERE, MASS. (WHDH) - A five-alarm fire at a four-story condominium complex in Revere forced more than a hundred people out of their homes Sunday afternoon.
Flames broke out at 10 Franklin Ave. around 2 p.m., sending fire alarms ringing throughout the complex.
“I heard the alarms and came out, seen the smoke. I don’t know what started it,” one resident said. “I grabbed my daughter and sister and took off.”
Neighbors rallied to make sure no one was left behind.
“We started to help other neighbors,” another resident recalled. “We knocked on the door, said ‘Is somebody there?’ and nobody answered so we ran out.”
Deputy Chief Glen Rich says when they arrived the flames had already torn through the walls throughout the building.
Firefighters struggled to gain control for eight hours, keeping their distance as the building began to buckle.
“They fought this fire valiantly but to no avail,” Rich said. “The fire was just too advanced on arrival.”
Four firefighters went to the hospital for heat-related injuries.
Residents are now forced to turn to others, like the American Red Cross, for help as they begin the difficult task of starting over.
“I’m speechless now,” resident Zouhair Nouty said. “I can’t think, I can’t tell you what’s going on or what’s gonna happen.”
The cause of the fire is under investigation; however, officials say it does not appear suspicious.
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