Boston firefighters battled a mid-day job that just went to nine alarms. Ladder 15 was on the box alarm 483 Beacon Street and reported heavy smoke on the No.7 floor and from then on it became multiple alarms and multiple rescues.
Firefighters work to extinguish a nine-alarm blaze that broke out this afternoon at the Beacon Towers at 483 Beacon St. (Photo by Mark Garfinkel)
The box came in just before 1400 hours, for a fire on the seventh floor. Additional early reports noted extension to the floor above as well. Complicated by a 100+ year old building with no sprinklers and narrow stairwells, multiple alarms were quickly struck. As companies moved in and went to work, occupants on the fire floor and below were removed. Some on the floors above, and in the penthouse, went to the roof.
During the operations, Ladder 26 was working one of the floors above when they were assigned to rescue a person seen hanging out of one of the penthouse windows. “Then, said Lt. Steve Mitchell, they got word from down below that there was a man hanging out of the window of the penthouse.
The crew went to the tenth floor, and found the man’s condo door wide open. Mitchell said they couldn’t see him, the smoke was too thick, but they followed his voice and found the man at the window.
(Stephen Walsh/Box 714 Imaging.com, with permission)
(Stephen Walsh/Box 714 Imaging photo, with permission)
See more photos from Boston’s 9-Alarm fire at Box 714 Imaging.com
Mitchell told WBZ’s Jonathan Elias that he was considering his options on what to do next — whether to jump to the seventh floor roof or continue hanging out of the window. At the same time, he had taken off his air pack and gave it to the man.
He sent another member of the company to search for a way out of the condo. Mitchell said as that firefighter was searching, he ran out of air in his pack.
“So you’re essentially trapped in that room then?” asked Elias.
“Well, I didn’t want to think like that,” replied Mitchell.
They closed the door to the apartment, and the other firefighter found a room that was not being affected by the smoke.
“I don’t know if God was looking out for us,” said Mitchell.
Mitchell, the man from the condo and the other firefighter stayed in that room until they got word from command that it was safe to go downstairs.” Chief of Department Ron Keating directing operations at Box 1583 (Stephen Walsh/Box 714 Imaging.com with permission)
Firefighters Find, Save Man During Boston Fire
One occupant, on the roof, was given CPR and then brought down to the street. Numbers of the injured vary according to local news, but it is reported that a total of three civilians and two firefighters were transported to the hospital. While it isn’t the first multiple alarm fire for April, it has been quiet awhile since nine alarms were struck. Earlier this month, on the 5th, two alarms were struck for a fire in a two-story taxpayer in District 4. You can see video on the department’s earlier 9-alarm fire that CBS’s 48 Hours sparked here, Part I and Part II. Today’s fire is the 11th multiple alarm.
Raw Video
Beacon Street Fire Uncut
Residents Escape Flames
9 Alarm Fire Rips Through Boston Building
Photo Galleries
Boston Herald: Fire at Beacon Towers
Boston Channel: Boston Apartment Fire
WBZ: 9-Alarm Fire Rips through Boston High-Rise
Audio
Fireground Audio, Part I
Fireground Audio, Part II
Courtesy FireSceneAudio.com
Alarm Assignments, Box 1583 – Beacon Street x Massachusetts Avenue
Courtesy A65 Belin
483 Beacon Street
1347 Box 1583
E 22-37-3 L 15-26 R-1 D-4(Ops) C-6 D-3a(Evac) H-1 D-6(Act)
1352 Rehab and RIT
E 39* L 4* W-25 D-11(RIT)
1358 2nd Alarm
E 33-14 TL-3 SU FlC W-12 Z-1(2nd) A-65
1359 3rd Alarm
E 24-42 L 14 X-1
1402 4th Alarm
E 51-53
1404 1 X Eng 2 X Lads
E 7 L 24-16 (RIT)
1407 5th Alarm
E 21-55 TL-10 C-3 C-2 C-1
Mutual Aid Brookline E1-28 Cambridge E2-33 Quincy E2-18 Brookline L2-14 Quincy L2-7
1413 6th Alarm
E 50-16
Mutual Aid Needham E1-30 Newton E1-51 Somerville E2-32
1415 7th Alarm
E 28-8 TL-17
Mutual Aid Chelsea E2-9 Dedham E1-48 Winthrop E1-10 Cambridge L1-15
1421 Hi-Angle Rescue
E 10 H-4
1421 8th Alarm
E 18-56 L 18
Mutual Aid Everett E1-8 Milton E1-16 Watertown E1-37
1434 9th Alarm
E 32-30-4
Mutual Aid Revere E3-5 Waltham E2-41
1436 Special
Mutual Aid Malden E3-56
1440 Special
Mutual Aid Cambridge E3-4 Somerville L2-24
1601 Detail
E 20-52 L 1-6
1917 Detail Terminated
1925 All Out
Local Media Reports:
Boston Globe: At Least 5 Hospitalized in Back Bay Fire
Boston Herald: Several Rescued in Raging Mass. Ave. Blaze
Boston Channel: 9-Alarm Fire Rips Through Boston Condo Building
WBZ: 9-Alarm Fire at Beacon Street Condo Complex
Firegeezer: Major-Alarm Worker at Boston High-Rise
STATter911: 9 Alarms at Boston High-Rise
- – - – -
Try as he might, Papelbon left any save in Boston up to the jakes.
Also on Backstep Firefighter …
- Boston Working:
Fire in Logan Airport Maintenance Hanger – October 18, 2012 - Taking Out the Garbage in Boston
Townie Finds Himself on Side Alpha – September 6, 2012 - The Age Old Question,
from Boston Fire Gear – July 27, 2012 - Life After Arlington Street
Worcester Firefighter Brian Carroll – December 21, 2012
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Great update!