Boston

Early Morning House Fire in East Boston Causes $100K Worth of Damage

The Boston fire department responded early Saturday morning to a house fire in East Boston.

The 2-alarm fire broke out around 4 a.m. at a 2-family, 2.5-story duplex that is undergoing renovations on White Street.

No one was home at the time on the side where the fire was, 2 White Street. It's not immediately clear if anyone lives there because of the construction work going on.   

Two adults and two children who live on the other side, at 4 White Street, were displaced because of smoke in the area and will be staying with friends, according to the fire department.

Firefighters were able to knock the heavy fire down within an hour, but they called in a second alarm because they had difficulty accessing the building as White Street is very tight.

"It's two stories high. Because it's down that tight alley, where all the wires, there's no access for area ladders to get in there, so we had to throw ground ladders to get up onto the roof and we had to vent the roof," Deputy Fire Chief Michael Ruggere said. "The nature of these neighborhoods over here, in south Boston, very tight streets, old buildings, built together very closely, so the access is tough."

No firefighters were injured while putting out the flames.

The fire chief estimates it's about $100,000 worth of damage.

The incident is under investigation, and fire investigators on scene will determine a cause and point of origin.

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