A large fire broke out at a multi-family building in Chelsea, Massachusetts, early Wednesday morning, displacing over 70 residents.
The fire occurred at about 12:30 a.m. at a four-story, 18-unit apartment building on Washington Avenue, the Chelsea Fire Department said.
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Video shows firefighters trying to knock down the flames that were roaring above the building.
"I opened the door, and all I see was the smoke," said Irene Alfaro, lives on the fourth floor. "I couldn't even see here face. She was pulling me out, 'Take the baby, take the baby.'"
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"I heard some screaming. As I ran toward the building, I saw a little girl dragging another little girl. I don't know what came over — fatherly instinct," said Juan Morales, who lives in the building next door. "I ran into the building, [and] I knocked on all the doors up to [the] third floor. I tried to go to fourth floor, but I saw the fire and I could feel the heat."
Morales says he was able to help a man escape, who was dealing with smoke inhalation.
"They took him to MGH Boston," said Morales. "He didn't wanna go, but I sat him down and I told him his family is going to be taken care of."
The man is expected to survive but unfortunately, not all pets made it out alive.
"I tried to get my cat and I couldn't," said Alfaro. "Just to think how much they suffered — it kills me."
While the cause of the fire remains under investigation, authorities say they don't believe it's suspicious.
