2 adults, 1 child hospitalized after Charlestown apartment fire

Boston fire officials responded to a fire that broke out at an apartment building early Sunday morning in Charlestown.Boston Fire Department (custom credit)/Boston Fire Department/Twitter

Two adults and a child were hurt after a lit candle caused an early morning fire that engulfed a Housing Authority apartment in Charlestown Sunday, according to the Boston fire department.

The blaze had overtaken the second-floor apartment of 45 Tufts St., with flames coming out the front and back of the building when firefighters arrived at about 1:30 a.m., according to Brian Alkins, a spokesman for the Boston fire department.

It was not clear if the three injured were in the apartment that caught fire, and their relationship was not known, he said in a brief phone interview. The extent of their injuries was also not known, he said.

The fire, which took about 40 minutes to extinguish was deemed an “unintentional fire caused by a candle,” Alkins said.

Approximately eight people were displaced by the blaze, which was confined to the four rooms of the second-floor apartment and is estimated to have caused about $500,000 in damage, Alkins said.

Officials from the Red Cross of Massachusetts and the Boston Housing Authority were helping the displaced residents with housing, the fire department said in a tweet said.

At approximately 1:30 am fire showing from the 2nd floor at 45 Tufts St. Charlestown. There were 4 rooms of fire . Companies were able was to contain the fire to the one apartment on the second floor. pic.twitter.com/9Ids3TBntx

— Boston Fire Dept. (@BostonFire) January 26, 2020

District Chief Dennis Keeley briefs the media at the fire on Tufts St. 2 adults. & 1 child transported ⁦@BOSTON_EMS⁩ . Damages are estimated at 500,000. There are 8 residents displaced ⁦@BHA_Boston⁩ & ⁦@RedCrossMA⁩ helping with housing. BFD-FIU investigating pic.twitter.com/dXwtYi5m5W

— Boston Fire Dept. (@BostonFire) January 26, 2020

The building, which is owned by Boston Housing Authority and was built in 1940, according to city records, appears to be a three-story brick building.

It was not clear if the apartment had working smoke detectors.