Nine-Alarm Blaze Rips through Allston Apartments
Five firefighters and two bystanders injured, eight BU students temporarily displaced
Five firefighters and two bystanders were injured in an Allston blaze that started late Wednesday afternoon and quickly went to nine alarms. Photo courtesy of the Boston Globe
As many as 60 people have been displaced by a nine-alarm fire that ripped through a brick apartment building at 8, 12, and 16 Harvard Terrace in Allston Wednesday evening. Five firefighters and two bystanders were injured in the blaze, and the Boston Fire Department cordoned off a two-block radius around the intersection of Brighton and Harvard Avenues. The Dean of Students office reports that 8 BU graduate students were temporarily displaced from neighboring housing. All were offered assistance by the University and all returned to their apartments.
According to the Boston Globe, officials are working to determine the cause of the fire, and the city’s building commissioner will examine the building today to determine if it is structurally sound and safe for residents to live in. Preliminary damage to the building is estimated at $2 million.
The Boston Fire Department reports that the fire started at approximately 5:30 p.m. on the rear porch of the three-story building and quickly moved to the front. By 7:30 p.m. the blaze had reached nine alarms. A shelter administered by the Red Cross has been set up at Jackson Mann School in Allston for displaced residents.
A BU emergency alert sent at 9:28 p.m. reported that “the fire scene on Harvard Terrace has been secured. Surrounding streets have been reopened, but Harvard Terrace remains closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic.” The alert advised that normal activities may be resumed in the area.
Correction: An earlier version of this story reported that 8 BU students were displaced. Those students were temporarily displaced from neighboring houses but did not live in the damaged Harvard Terrace apartments.
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