Three-Year-Old Rescued From Chelsea Apartment Fire, Two Firefighters Injured
CHELSEA (CBS) -- A three-year-old boy was rescued and two firefighters were hurt in a four-alarm fire in an apartment building on Eleanor Street Wednesday morning.
One firefighter was taken to Whidden Hospital with a back injury. Another, who had a shoulder injury, was treated on scene. They were both expected to be fine.
WBZ-TV's Susie Steimle reported that firefighters rescued a three-year-old boy from a fourth-floor balcony.
Chelsea Fire Department Deputy Chief John Quatieri said a neighbor reported the child on the balcony, and crews were able to reach him and get him out of the building safely.
The Chelsea Fire Department said shortly after 11 a.m. that the fire had been knocked down. Quatieri said it took about an hour to get the fast-spreading fire under control in the large building.
"The fire spread quicker than crews could control it," Quatieri said. "Required four alarms to get enough manpower here to contain the fire."
All of the people who were home at the time got out safely--though most stayed in their apartments at first, because they were used to the building's fire alarms going off.
"The fire alarm goes off all the time here," resident Linda Defeo said. "But this time we could smell the smoke."
"What happens typically in these types of buildings, the fire alarms activate frequently, and the occupants tend to ignore it," said Quatieri.
Chelsea Fire also made an important save for Defeo, bringing out her fluffy white feline Crystal.
Quatieri says the fire was started by a plumber's torch while repairs were being done on the third floor.
He said the building would probably be uninhabitable, displacing over 60 people.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Mike Macklin reports
