WALTHAM, MASS. (WHDH) - No major injuries were reported after a vehicle caught fire next to a Waltham medical facility, leading to dozens of people evacuating.
According to a statement issued by Mass General Brigham, it was a vehicle in the patient parking garage at Mass General Waltham that caught fire Monday morning, leading to firefighters being called in and police closing off access to the medical center.
During the response, officials said a portion of the facility closest to the fire was evacuated as a result, with “no major injuries” reported during the incident.
Speaking to reporters, Waltham’s Fire Chief said four people were transported from the scene as a precaution after the car fire appeared to send smoke into the building. At least one person was treated for smoke inhalation.
“Car fires generate a lot of smoke and – [at the] lower level, it was contained and it was funneled and it went up some elevator shafts and into the buildings,” explained Waltham Fire Chief Andrew Mullin. “No loss of life and no significant injuries, no firefighter injuries – so in that aspect, everything went well.”
No details on what led to the vehicle catching fire have been released, with MGB officials noting that the car was quickly extinguished.
“Delays related to this incident have resulted in some patient appointments being rescheduled,” the MGB statement read. “We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Waltham Fire Department and the Mass General Waltham staff for their quick response and assistance.”
“It’s bad – whatever it was, it was bad,” said pediatric nurse Angela Ventura. “When we started evacuating, the smell of smoke – I said something’s up.”
One patient told 7NEWS she was halfway through an MRI when she was told she needed to get out.
“I was in the middle of getting an MRI and then I was told there was a fire alarm and we needed to pull out,” said Angela Rikleen, adding that she and others spent at least half-an-hour waiting to be let back in.
By midday, crews began to leave the scene before the roadway later reopened in the early afternoon.
Images from the garage later showed the source of the fire – a sedan in the structure’s lower levels that appeared to have a fire spread throughout its front.
(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)