Fires Displace More Than 20 People in Boston

Boston firefighters answered an alarm at 211 Boylston St. in Jamaica Plain at about 5:52 p.m. on October 31. The blaze began in a rear room in one of the six-unit building’s third-floor apartments. No residents were inside when crews entered, and firefighters extinguished the blaze after opening walls and ceilings to keep it from spreading toward the roof.

During the response, crews saw the building’s rear wall shifting and leaning outward. More than a dozen occupants were unable to go back into their homes due to smoke and water damage and concerns about the structure. The department’s victim-support team and the American Red Cross coordinated emergency assistance. The building was handed over to the city’s Inspectional Services Department and its owner at about 8:30 p.m. The fire’s cause remains under investigation.

Firefighters also responded to a blaze at a three-story home at 24 Kerwins St. in Dorchester. People on the second floor called for help after becoming trapped by fire below them, and firefighters rescued them from a rear porch. Three people were taken to a hospital. The incident displaced 11 people—eight adults and three children—and the estimated damage was $500,000.

The fires displaced more than 20 people altogether. Inspectional Services was called to evaluate the Jamaica Plain building after firefighters raised concerns about its stability.