Smoke from Hanscom fire reaches Boston

Shortly after 11 p.m., people from North Cambridge and Porter Square to the Fenway, the Back Bay and Roxbury began reporting a strong burning smell. Fire departments in both cities started getting calls; people on the street began asking cops on the beat what that smell was.

Although fire officials suspected the smell was from the Hanscom plane crash around 9:40 p.m., Boston firefighters began roaming their neighborhoods looking for possible local fire sources. As of 11:50, they hadn't found any.

Mike the Mad Biologist reported:

Definitely strong burning smell in Back Bay, even indoors (Exeter/Newbury).

Aubrey Bracco reported she even saw particles in the air in Porter Square. In North Cambridge, Banjo the Dog reported "a smoky haze under street lamps."

Jessica Starbard reported that around 11:40 p.m., she didn't notice anything in downtown Boston, but that by 12:10, she was getting the smell of burning plastic.

Way closer to the fire, in Lexington, Suzanne Shavelson reported:

Intense smell like burning plastic.