Boston firefighters battled blazes in Roxbury, West Roxbury and Dorchester. Nearly 70 residents were displaced in the three fires, and one resident and two firefighters were injured in the West Roxbury blaze.
Nearly 70 residents across Boston were displaced by three separate fires Saturday morning, as Boston firefighters went from fire to fire across the city, including one fueled by a gas leak that resulted in injuries to one resident and two firefighters.
Firefighters first responded overnight to a fire in Roxbury, before a 6-alarm fire broke out in West Roxbury, followed shortly later by a 2-alarm fire in Dorchester.
"We try to keep every neighborhood fully covered as much as possible. We also have out of town, like Brookline was here, but as companies move other companies move up so no one is unprotected," fire incident commander Erik Pettaway said.
Dozens of people who had to be rescued from the three burning buildings were overwhelmed by their loss.
"It's tough, it's tough for my mother," said Roxbury fire victim Albie Montgomery. “Everyone lost so much…to rebuild your life, to start all over..."
Montgomery was one of 19 people who was displaced overnight Saturday after a 4-alarm fire broke out at 55 Dale Street around 3 a.m.
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The fire caused approximately $500,000 in damages, but no one was injured in the fire at the 6-family home.
Less than three hours later, just 20 minutes away in West Roxbury, 36 people were displaced by a 6-alarm fire that broke out around 5:50 a.m. at 1212 VFW Parkway, injuring one resident and two firefighters.
The three who were injured were taken by Boston EMS to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries.
There was heavy fire on arrival on all three floors of the multi-unit apartment building. The job was made tougher for fire crews because of the gas leak that fueled the fire.
Boston Fire Commissioner Joe Finn was on scene when crews had to be removed from the building to maintain a defensive position by fighting the fire from the exterior.
Both National Grid and Eversource responded because of the gas leak.
As National Grid worked to shut down the gas that was feeding the flames, firefighters continued to pour water onto the fire.
The blaze caused approximately $2 million in damages.
While Boston firefighters were on scene in West Roxbury, a 2-alarm fire broke out in Dorchester around 8 a.m.
Heavy fire was showing when firefighters arrived at 3 Groom Street.
Multiple rescues were made with residents taken out over ground ladders, according to the fire department.
Twelve people were displaced by the blaze, but there were no reports of injuries.
The fire, which was knocked down, started in the basement and burned through the rear stairwell, through the roof.
Officials are estimating the fire caused $500,000 in damages.
Neighbors in Dorchester are heartbroken for everyone affected by the Groom Street fire.
"It's Mother's Day, you know? And the families and the kids, it's hard...I feel so sorry for these people," said Dorchester resident Juanita Randolph.
Amid the tragedy Saturday, there was also a heroic story.
A 25-year-old went back in the building to knock on all of his neighbors' doors to get out.
"I wouldn’t want to hear anybody go down in smoke or wanna see anybody go up in flames, so I just decided to you know take the initiative and go inside and help my neighbor," said Dorchester fire victim Jauqil Stone.
There was also a moment of thankfulness during the Roxbury fire early Saturday morning.
Montgomery thought his cat died in the fire, but the black feline found his way out.
"You can smell the smoke on him," Montgomery said after reuniting with his cat, Pops.
While this isn’t how people hoped to spend Mother's Day weekend, those involved say it's a miracle everyone is alive.
"We all here in good health now, breathing fresh air and that's all that matters," Stone said.
Fire Commissioner Finn echoed that sentiment as he praised everyone for their outstanding work on all three fires Saturday morning. In a series of tweets, the commissioner said everyone's training paid off resulting in no serious injuries.
The Red Cross and the Office of Neighborhood Services were notified to assist the 67 residents who were displaced by the three fires.
The Boston Fire Department says none of the fires are related.
All three multi-alarm blazes are under investigation, and the Fire Investigation Unit was on scene at each location to determine the source of how these fires started.
