Local News

One dead after major fire engulfs multiple buildings in East Boston

The fire displaced about 30 residents and caused an estimated $5 million in damage on Meridian Street in East Boston.

By Ross Cristantiello

April 2, 2024

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A six-alarm fire tore through multiple buildings in East Boston early Tuesday morning, killing one person and injuring six more. 

Members of the Boston Fire Department responded to the scene at about 5 a.m., according to posts that the department made on social media. At that point, heavy fire had already spread throughout a large multi-family building on Meridian Street and it had elevated to a six-alarm blaze. 

At around 5:40 a.m., officials reported that heavy smoke had filled the area surrounding the fire and that all firefighters had been ordered out of the building. 

Just before 6 a.m., the department said that the fire had spread to two other buildings. Companies were working to bring the fire down from adjacent buildings. The department posted images and a video of firefighters blasting water at the flames from a nearby roof deck. 

At about 6:20 a.m., the department said that firefighters were attacking the “exposure building” with an “interior and exterior attack” and from the roof deck. Efforts were being made to keep it from “spreading down the block.”

The fire was still active 90 minutes after firefighters arrived on the scene. Images posted at that time show firefighters on ladders ascending into clouds of smoke and others using hoses from the roof of a building next door. The fire was finally knocked down around 7 a.m. 

Fire Commissioner Paul Burke and Mayor Michelle Wu briefed the media at the scene later in the morning. They confirmed that five residents were rescued using ladders and that one person had died. 

A member of the Boston Police Department also confirmed the death, saying that homicide detectives were investigating. The victim’s identity has not been released yet. 

In total, more than 130 firefighters worked to extinguish the fire and save lives, officials said. One firefighter and six residents were transported to hospitals by EMS. One of the residents injured was a child. 

Officials also said that a “couple of birds” were displaced. Images posted by the department to social media show firefighters walking out of a building with pet birds in cages. 

The fire caused an estimated $5 million in damage, the department said.