BOSTON (WHDH) - Crews responded after a triple-decker home in Roslindale caught fire Thursday, according to fire officials.
Boston Fire Chief Paul Burke told 7NEWS the blaze at the home on Washington Street started on a back porch, raced up the back of the building, and onto the roof. Cellphone video taken by a bystander captured massive, orange flames spreading through all three floors of the building.
Firefighters initially thought no one was home, but when they checked inside they found a woman sleeping in her bedroom on the second floor. The woman’s son told 7NEWS they most likely saved her life.
“I guess she was sleeping and they were knocking on the door really, really hard to wake her up, and they did which was really, really good because the fire was at the back of the apartment and if it would’ve reached further into the apartment she could’ve suffocated,” the woman’s son said. “Being in there with the smoke was definitely dangerous so I’m glad that they acted swiftly and they did their job.”
Burke said when they received this call, many of the firefighters covering the neighborhood were at another fire in Hyde Park rescuing people from porches. They received back-up in Roslindale from firefighters in Dorchester and other areas.
“This came in, and the first arriving company had smoke showing here and this was going pretty good, so I came over here and we had to get fire companies from all over the city to come over here, because they were finishing the other fire on the other side of this in Hyde Park,” said Burke.
Firefighters said they were grateful winds weren’t as high and temperatures were not as low as the last couple of days in the city, so they were able to keep the fire from spreading to a neighboring triple-decker.
Officials said seven people are now without a place to live.
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