dorchester

9-Alarm Fire in Boston, 8 Homes Affected

A vacant building in Dorchester caught fire on Saturday and spread to several nearby structures.

The 9-alarm fire in the building located at 39 Old Morton St. impacted eight nearby homes in all, according to the Boston Fire Department.

High winds and the close proximity of the homes made it easy for the fire to spread.

It took a few hours and over 100 firefighters to get the blaze under control, and while the fire is out, the struggle for some is just beginning.

"I got very scared that it was going to spread to other houses and very scared for other people," said 9-year-old Mackenzie Rosado.

MacKenzie and her 11-year-old brother Christopher Rosado live across the street from where the fire erupted. Their father, an EMT, jumped into action while they wondered if their house would be next.

"I was scared, I was very scared. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen and my mom told me to come down here I wasn’t sure where my dad was," Christopher Rosado said.

One hundred and fifty firefighters worked tirelessly to put out the raging fire. But the close proximity of the homes had them battling the inferno for a few hours, sending seven firefighters to the hospital

Neighbors tried to protect their own homes by hosing down their roof. Others evacuated as a precaution.

An investigation into how the blaze began is ongoing. 

About 20 families were affected by the fire. Two civilians were also brought to an area hospital, and six people were treated on scene.

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