One killed, several injured in six-alarm blaze in East Boston
A six-alarm fire engulfed two multifamily buildings in East Boston on Tuesday, killing one person and forcing some residents to jump for their lives, while firefighters used towering ladders to rescue several others from the flames, survivors and city officials said.
Six people were rescued with aerial ladders at the intersection of Meridian and West Eagle streets and sent to area hospitals, officials said.
One person, a resident of 430 Meridian St., did not survive, Boston Fire Commissioner Paul F. Burke said. The victim’s name was not released.
The fire was discovered around 5 a.m. at 430 and 432 Meridian St. and spread to 8 West Eagle St., damaging the exterior of the third building, the commissioner said. Some 130 firefighters fought the fire, which caused an estimated $5 million in damage, he said.
Mayor Michelle Wu, who joined Burke at the scene around 8 a.m., said the city would do whatever it could to support those injured and displaced.
“I want to share my condolences to the family who has lost someone this morning,” Wu told reporters. “It’s incredibly heartbreaking to feel what that family must be feeling.”
The early-morning fire left an estimated 30 residents displaced, officials say. Above, family and friends gathered on the sidewalk outside the building for information.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner removed what looked like a body bag from 430 Meridian St. around 12:15 p.m.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, said Firefighter Brian Alkins, a spokesperson for the Boston Fire Department. Alkins said he did not have an update on where the body of the person who died was found. He said there was no indication that any other residents were missing.
Approximately 30 displaced people are being helped by the Red Cross, Salvation Army, and the city’s Neighborhood Services, Burke said.
Standing near yellow tape stretched across East Boston streets, residents of 430 and 432 Meridian St. shared harrowing accounts of being enshrouded in heavy black smoke and of relatives jumping from the upper floors in a frantic effort to escape.
Miguel Angel Maroquin, who moved in with his cousin on the second floor of 430 Meridian St. just two weeks ago, said he was
awakened by screams from his neighbors around 4:50 a.m.
“I couldn’t see anything, it was all black,” Maroquin, 34, said as he watched smoke rise from the ruins of his home. “It all happened so fast . ... It was so strong.”
Maroquin said both he and his cousin jumped out of the second-floor window. His cousin slammed his face against the ground as he landed, Maroquin said.
“His whole face was covered in blood,” he said.
His cousin was rushed to a Boston hospital, he said.
William Yanes, his hair covered with black soot, stood near 430 Meridian, where he lived in the basement. He said his brother had been taken to the hospital, as had a young boy and girl who he thought also lived in the building.
Rabecca Verreault, 17, Diego Rabelo, 33, and Rachel Verreault, 22, are siblings who have lived together on the second floor of 432 Meridian St. since 2006. Rabecca Verreault said she was asleep when Rabelo came and “banged” on her bedroom door around 5 a.m.
“You never think you’re going to be in a fire like that,” Rabecca Verreault said.
Rabelo said he woke up when he heard a “guy outside yelling.” He saw smoke and then ran through all the floors, banging on every door to get people out of the building.
The siblings saved their dog and their cat. Around 1 p.m. Tuesday, Rabelo and Rabecca Verreault carried bags of their belongings out of 432 Meridian St.
Rabelo, who is getting his MBA from Suffolk University, said he recently applied to be a firefighter. After his experience with the fire, he “wants to do it more.”
”This is the neighborhood I grew up in,” he said. “It was my neighbors.”
Rabelo wasn’t worried about himself, he was worried about the other people at 432 Meridian St., he said.
”I was mostly scared about people not waking up quick enough,” Rabelo said.
David Mendez, 31, has lived on the third floor of 8 West Eagle St. for three years, where he said the fire burned and melted the outside of the building.
“If the house would have been a little bit closer, the whole building would have caught fire,” he said. “I really thought the fire was going to spread.”
Mendez, a member of the board of directors of the Neighborhood of Affordable Housing, repeated Wu’s statement that East Boston was in a “housing crisis.”
“It’s sad for the whole community, especially in East Boston,” he said. “I just feel bad for all the people that lost their belongings and everything.”
Rigo Verto was among those gathered near the fire scene, but he was there with a singular purpose — he has not seen or heard from his brother, who lived on the second floor at 430 Meridian St.
The loss of life came despite a massive firefighting effort, with firefighters battling the blaze from ladders, on rooftops, and in backyards. Crews eventually brought the fire under control about two hours after their arrival, officials said.
“This was a tough fire,” Commissioner Burke said. “There was a lot of people in it. It was going so fast.”
One firefighter was taken to the hospital with a minor knee injury, he said.
Gabriela Coletta, a city councilor for District 1, which covers East Boston and Charlestown, said in a statement that “there has already been an outpouring of love and offers to help. which he said is “reflective of who we are as a neighborhood.”
“My deepest sympathies go out to individuals and families impacted by the devastating fire in East Boston,” Coletta wrote. “I am working closely with my state delegation, Mayor Wu and her administration, and community partners to provide support and aid during this difficult time.”
Coletta said a donation link has been set up under the East Boston Social Centers.