Firefighters battled a blaze that spread to multiple buildings in East Boston on Wednesday morning.
The fire was initially reported around 6:30 a.m. on Saratoga Street.
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Boston fire said the fire started in a triple-decker wood frame and jumped to a second triple-decker. Fire crews were still working to extinguish hot spots in the rear of the buliding as of 8 a.m.
The fire started on the second floor, quickly filling the building with smoke, setting off alarms and awakening residents to a frightening scene.
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“We were looking for the exit, but there was already too much smoke,” said Alejandra, who lives on the third floor of the building. “We could no longer exit using the stairway, so we told ourselves we needed to jump from the balcony, and that’s what we did."
“There was a lot of smoke,” noted Jerry Tiso, who lives across the street and was awakened by the alarms and fire trucks. “The firemen started to douse water and then the fire had jumped to the second house. I don’t know how, but the heat probably put the aluminum siding on fire.”
“Thank God everyone is OK,” added Esteban Builes, who lives on the first floor of the building that caught fire. “Now we just need to see how we can come together and find a way to get help."
Twenty-four adults and nine children were displaced by the fire, officials said, and several cats were rescued from the buildings. The Red Cross is helping those residents find a temporary place to stay.
None of the residents of the buildings were injured, but Boston EMS said they treated two firefighters who suffered minor burns and injuries due to the fire.
Multiple fire vehicles came to the scene. Photos showed a ladder truck atop the building, with numerous firefighters gathered outside.
Fire officials said the buildings are not a total loss, but they did sustain a great deal of water damage.
The cause of the fire is not yet known.
