Fireworks blamed in blaze
20 people displaced as 2 homes burn
Illegal fireworks from people celebrating the Fourth of July are to blame for an early morning fire that displaced 20 people and destroyed two three decker houses, Boston fire officials said Friday.
Boston firefighters responded to a report of a building fire at 41 Mount Everett St. in Dorchester around 1:30 a.m. Friday. By the time firefighters arrived, a second and third alarm were ordered. The rear porches of the building were fully engulfed with flames and collapsed. No injuries were reported.
Fire investigators determined the inferno was started by sparks from fireworks. Boston fire officials said 20 people were displaced as a result of the fire and damages for both buildings, which were next to each other, are estimated at about $1 million.
“This is the reason we try to warn of the dangers and the damages they can cause. This is why they are illegal,” the fire department tweeted Friday.
Dorothy Wideman, who lives in one of the tripledeckers with her two sisters, told the Herald they heard the fire alarm go off and someone knocking on their doors to “get out, there’s a fire.” The family was later able to retrieve some of their belongings.
The city’s Neighborhood Services and the Red Cross were on the scene to assist the 20 residents displaced with housing.
According to the state fire marshal’s office, over the last decade, there have been 800 major fire and explosion incidents in Massachusetts involving fireworks.
State law prohibits people from using, possessing or selling fireworks. Residents are also prohibited from purchasing fireworks legally elsewhere and then transporting them into the state.
Ahead of the July Fourth celebrations, Massachusetts firefighters warned Bay State residents to leave fireworks to the professionals.
“The Fourth of July holiday is a busy time for firefighters,” said Needham fire Chief Dennis Condon, president of the Fire Chiefs’ Association of Massachusetts, in a statement last week. “We are supervising the professional displays so that they are safe for spectators and licensed operators; we are busy responding to all types of fires and medical emergencies. In fact, the week of July Fourth is one of the busiest times of the year for fires.”
State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey said in the statement, “Last year, several people lost fingers and suffered serious burns lighting off illegal fireworks in Massachusetts. Thirty-four firefighters were injured when an errant firework ignited a 6-family building.”
“Just as children know where you keep the match- es and lighters, they know where you stash your illegal fireworks,” Ostroskey con- tinued. “Children imitate adults. If you use fireworks, children will copy you, not realizing how very dangerous fireworks are.”