BFD fights Dot fire with foam
Agustin Blanco could only watch helplessly as his Codman Square Market went up in flames yesterday.
“That’s my life,” he said as he watched firefighters douse the last remaining hot spots.
Fire officials are investigating the cause of the four-alarm blaze that broke out at the Dorchester convenience store and quickly spread to two other shops.
Blanco said he was inside his store at 573 Washington St. shortly after 9 a.m. when he saw smoke coming from the basement and called 911.
“The fire quickly extended throughout the building to the point where we had to get people out of the building,” which had no sprinklers, Fire Commissioner Joseph Finn said.
Two vacant stores — Mod Liquors and X. O Restaurant — also were damaged, said Boston fire spokesman Steve MacDonald, but an adjacent Citizens Bank was spared by a firewall.
About 90 firefighters spent five hours battling the blaze with water and biodegradeable foam, which the fire department has been using for the last year to help smother fires and toxic gases, Finn said. But the flames spread partly through the space between the ceiling and the roof, making it difficult to access, he said.
Eventually, the market’s roof collapsed, and firefighters were concerned that the billboard above would fall with it, Finn said.
In all, the fire caused an estimated $1 million in damage, destroying the business Blanco opened 18 years ago.
Boniface Jean-Francois, who lives two blocks away, said locals flocked to the market for lottery tickets and American and Spanish foods, and were always greeted by Blanco’s smile.
“It’s going to be a very big loss to him and his family and the community,” said Victor Aduayi, who owns Flora’s Beauty Supply across the street. “He’s very hardworking. The store was open seven days a week, from morning to night. I hope and pray he’ll be able to bounce back. A lot of people are going to miss him.”