Crews continue to fight hot spots following a massive fire that spread between several oceanfront homes Friday night in Scituate, Massachusetts.
The blaze broke out before 8 p.m. on Glades Road in Minot Beach. Eight homes were damaged — five extensively — according to Scituate Fire Chief John Murphy. No injuries were reported. Floating embers might have sparked a fire in a dumpster near one of the condo buildings.
"This is one of the largest fires with this many homes being destroyed in my 33 years here, we've had a lot of it. It's not uncommon with with the congested beach homes here that we can have fire spread like this. And the weather does contribute to that as well.” Murphy added.
Get Boston local news, weather forecasts, lifestyle and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Boston’s newsletters.
Crews from at least eight other communities responded, Murphy said. Departments sent firefighters from Cohasset, Hull, Hingham, Norwell, Hanover, Marshfield, Duxbury and Rockland.
"We have a lot of resources to help us out, and that's what we do, we work together, cause there's only limited resources for every town," Murphy said. "When you get a five-alarm fire, we rely on each other."
Police and fire officials urged people to stay away from the area while the flames were being extinguished. Most of the heavy fire was out by 11 p.m., but crews continued to deal with hot spots.
"It was a massive fireball," neighbor Patti Wolff said. She said she had been walking her dog just 10 minutes before the fire broke out and there was nothing. "And when it went, it went like an explosion. It was a massive fireball. And the cinders were flying. It was like a tornado circling around in the air every which way. Firemen were everywhere. They were having trouble getting water right away."
At least one structure seen in footage recorded by NBC10 Boston around 9 p.m. appeared to be completely destroyed, with only the frame and stairs standing.
"Until recently, they've all been family homes that have been in the families for generations. Just recently, some of them have been purchased and renovated," said neighbor Delia Weikert. "There's a lot of history here, and sadly, it's very changed now."
PHOTOS: Fire Rages in Scituate
The American Red Cross of Massachusetts is assisting about a half a dozen people who were displaced, Murphy said.
Police said people living in the area should expect power outages, as well as discoloration and pressure issues with their water.
Murphy noted that most of the homes affected are worth between $700,000 and $1 million. Most are waterfront properties and man of them are rentals or summer homes. Neighbors said most of them were built at the turn of the century and stayed within families for generations. Some of them had recently sold and one was under construction.
Crews will be staying in the area on Saturday looking for hot spots in the area.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Fire officials say they don't believe it was suspicious.
