A six-alarm blaze in East Boston tore through a trio of multi-family buildings early Monday, displacing 25 people and drawing some 100 firefighters to the predawn blaze, fire officials said. One person was rescued from a second-floor residence.
The Boston Fire Department began tweeting about the blaze at 183 Maverick St. just before 4 a.m., writing that “heavy fire” on all three floors of that residence had extended to a neighboring building. Minutes later, fire officials tweeted that all companies had been ordered out of the building, as thick smoke and flames shot “through the roof.”
The blaze ultimately damaged three residential buildings, fire officials said, forcing the department to attack the flames with multiple “blitz guns.” Fire officials said 25 people were displaced and that there were no injuries to report.
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The cause of the fire remained under investigation as of noon on Monday, according to Brian Alkins, a Boston Fire Department spokesman. He said a cause wouldn’t be established Monday, as investigators were still waiting to get into the building early Monday afternoon.
Boston Fire Commissioner John Dempsey told reporters at the scene that the below-freezing temperatures made fighting the blaze more difficult for crews. One of the fire engines at the scene was rendered unusable when it became coated with ice from nearby hoses. That ice also coated the area around the burning buildings, causing slippery conditions.
City Councilor At Large Erin Murphy praised the responding firefighters.
She tweeted out thanks to Local 718, the Boston firefighters’ union, for “for your service to our @CityOfBoston I appreciate all of you! I watched, in the freezing cold, as you rushed into the burning building & rescued the residents then contained the fire so it didn’t spread down the block. Great work!”
Fire officials, meanwhile, tweeted that the Red Cross was assisting the displaced residents with finding alternative housing.
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Thank you to everyone who provided support to us , and the residents of East Boston . @BostonSparks @BOSTON_EMS @AlertBoston @COB_ONS @bostonpolice BFD Motor Squad, @RedCrossMA who helping find the 25 displaced housing. pic.twitter.com/v6aiaqDRyT
— Boston Fire Dept. (@BostonFire) February 28, 2022
Colleen Cronin of the Globe Staff and Globe correspondent Matt Yan contributed to this report.
Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com. John R. Ellement can be reached at john.ellement@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @JREbosglobe.