UPDATE: BFD identifies the cause of the fire.
Remains of the crossover. Photo by BFD.
The Boston Fire Department reports a three-alarm fire broke out shortly before 11 p.m. at 27 Melcher St., in the warren of large, old interconnected buildings off Summer Street.
The fire, in a four-story high crossover between two buildings, sent one firefighter to the hospital with a separated shoulder and another to the hospital with an arm injury, the department reports. Damage was estimated at $200,000, the cause is under investigation.
27 Melcher. Photo by BFD.
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Yikes! My dad works in this building :-(
By cdevers
Tue, 09/20/2011 - 12:42am
My father works at one of the companies in this building. Just got off the phone with him, and he's okay (phew — he works late sometimes), but he mentioned that there's been some kind of construction & renovations happening on the second floor.
Any indication of where in the building the fire is? What floor, what side, etc? I see the first @BostonFire post mentions the roof, but from their cameraphone photos, it's a little hard to tell what's going on.
A crossover, actually
By adamg
Tue, 09/20/2011 - 6:08am
Just updated the post with info and photos from the fire department.
More from a building occupant
By cdevers
Tue, 09/20/2011 - 7:26am
Just got this email about it from my dad:
From earlier, while they were still working on it:
This it?
By adamg
Tue, 09/20/2011 - 7:36am
Greg MacKay took this photo after Irene, with this note:
Copyright Greg MacKay.
Seems like it
By cdevers
Tue, 09/20/2011 - 11:22am
I've never been up to his office, but yes, it seems pretty clear that this is the walkway in question.
More emails from him this morning (minus photos):
Bums cooking meth
By anon²
Tue, 09/20/2011 - 8:32am
strikes again?
Was listening to the scanner
By anon
Tue, 09/20/2011 - 11:13am
and the FD asked for police presence as they had come across a suspicious individual. So, perhaps you are right on the money.
I always wondered
By anon
Tue, 09/20/2011 - 9:26am
I used to work right around the corner from there on A Street. I always wondered what that "crossover" thing was.
P&G/BRA Dork Factor?
By Noah Moore Bohack
Tue, 09/20/2011 - 1:49pm
I thought property owner Gillette/P&G had brains, but now I wonder. That some of our finest landmark architecture falls to arson and disinvestment is not news. These buildings have sat fallow for years now, and like some of Archon's holdings next door, they are a blight and threat to the area. P&G should get off the dime and revive them into badly needed, useful, affordable housing (for artists or otherwise). Enough demolition by neglect. Either get it done or sell the property to others who know how (i.e. stick to razor blades!).
Are you sure Gillette owns this?
By Ron Newman
Tue, 09/20/2011 - 2:19pm
It's pretty far away from the World Shaving Headquarters & Factory at the other end of the channel.
It can't be
By Fred Sanford
Tue, 09/20/2011 - 2:36pm
copper siding. It wouldn't have lasted that long.
Demolition by Neglect?...
By Noah Moore Bohack
Tue, 09/20/2011 - 1:57pm
That some of our finest landmark architecture falls to arson and disinvestment is not news. These buildings have sat fallow for years now, and like some of Archon's holdings next door, they are a blight and threat to the area. P&G should get off the dime and revive them into badly needed housing (for artists or otherwise). Enough demolition by neglect. Get it done or sell the property to others who can (i.e. stick to razor blades)
P&G
By anon²
Tue, 09/20/2011 - 5:41pm
You sure? It's on the other side of a massing parking lot.
P&G did well by my book, they gave up land, and helped pay for the nicest section of the harbor walk (unfortunately it's the least traversed). Their custodial staff also keeps the trash bin empty.
contrast that to the USPS next door who took a public road and made it off limits to the public, or a litany of others along the channel / harbor.
I Had It Called In(?)!
By ~KMGC~
Tue, 09/20/2011 - 11:36am
I work across the channel at the PO and was sitting outside when I saw some smoke with an orange glow——I thought someone may had been burning something in the alley (barrel fire?), but quickly realized it was more than that (car on fire?).
So I ran over to the guard shack and he radioed in to notify BFD. It seemed like I heard the first engine screaming around the corner within a minute!: While I realize their station is just around the corner, the time from postal security notifying BFD, BFD dispatching the companies and the companies actually rolling seems a bit suspect, in terms of our call being the initial one! P=)
Fire
By Dan Osterman
Tue, 09/20/2011 - 1:27pm
Can you estimate how long it was between call-in and the fire/police got to the location there?
Less Than 45 sec.?
By ~KMGC~
Wed, 09/21/2011 - 10:12am
Well, I heard him call it in to his dispatcher as I walked a little further up towards Summer St to get a better view, saw the flames on the top floor/roof (I thought at the time it was the building on the other side of A St, across from Melcher) walked back past him letting him know, “oh yeah, there is a roof fire”, he said “yes sir, they’ve been notified” (couldn’t have been more than 15-20 sec. since he radioed it in), started to walk back down Dot Ave and——I’d say within another 10-20 sec., at most——heard the first Purchase St response coming down Congress St and turning onto Dot Ave to Summer St.
So I’d say it was no more than 30-45 sec. from when he radioed his dispatch to when dispatch got a hold of BFD Fire Alarm, Fire Alarm could have called out, and first responder was on Summer St. Even under the most expeditious execution, that seems a little too quick to be plausible! P=)