Fire officials have released the likely cause of a fire in Chelsea, Massachusetts, last week that displaced dozens of residents.
The fire, which burned two buildings and damaged two others, started on a rear porch and fire officials said Tuesday it might have been caused by the careless disposal of smoking materials. No conclusive determination on the cause was reached by investigators, but they did agree that it was not suspicious.
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“In Chelsea and other densely built cities and towns, a fire on a back porch can quickly grow to involve multiple buildings,” Chelsea Fire Chief Leonard Albanese said in a statement. “Many of these fires start with cigarettes and other smoking materials that are carelessly discarded. They can smolder undetected, spread to the main structure, and extend to nearby homes within minutes. I want to thank the Chelsea and mutual aid firefighters who did a remarkable job containing this fire, which grew very, very quickly. Under slightly different circumstances, the entire neighborhood could have been threatened.”
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Chelsea firefighters responded to Maverick Street around 11:40 a.m. on Friday to find heavy fire in the rear of a 3-story building. The flames had already extended to a 2-story building next door, and additional resources were called in to help battle the blaze.
Two firefighters wound up having to be rescued after running low on air, but were uninjured. No civilian injuries were reported.
The fire was declared under control shortly after 1 p.m. Friday.
Five to seven families were displaced by the fire -- around 40 people. They are being assisted with temporary housing by La Colaborativa, the American Red Cross and Chelsea Emergency Management.
