A Somerville three-alarm fire gutted a vacant duplex at 8-10 Park St. early Thursday, Sept. 24, injuring three firefighters as flames raced from the basement through all three upper floors and the roof collapsed, city fire officials said. The cause remains under investigation.
Somerville firefighters were called to Park Street at about 6:34 a.m. and found heavy fire in the basement and on every floor above, Fire Chief Charles Breen told the Cambridge Somerville Independent. Breen said the house had been vacant for some time.
Roof Collapse Forces Defensive Attack on Park Street
The fire eventually burned through the roof, which caved in, and crews were ordered out of the building when interior conditions became too dangerous. Firefighters then battled the blaze from outside using multiple hose lines and aerial ladders, and most of the fire was knocked down within about two hours, city officials told Somerville Patch.
The three alarms brought mutual aid from Cambridge, Boston, Chelsea, and Medford. The house sits in a busy commercial pocket of Somerville’s Ward 2, near Conway Park, a Walgreens, and a stretch of shops, a hotel, and restaurants along the nearby blocks.
Firefighter Injuries in the Somerville Blaze
Two firefighters suffered serious hand injuries and were taken to the hospital, and a third injured an ankle, according to Patch. Officials have not released the firefighters’ names or updated their conditions. The building was unoccupied at the time of the fire.
Vacant Buildings and Firefighter Safety
Fires in long-vacant structures are a known hazard for crews because hidden damage, missing fire barriers, and delayed discovery can let flames spread before the first engine arrives—conditions that match what Somerville firefighters encountered Thursday morning. The Park Street fire adds to a difficult stretch for first responders and workers around Greater Boston, including a fatal scaffolding fall in Jamaica Plain and the Charlestown explosive-device standoff handled by Boston police.
Somerville fire investigators are still working to determine how the blaze started. Anyone with information about activity at 8-10 Park St. before the fire can contact the Somerville Fire Department.