Boston fire fighters were kept busy Thursday with 2 multiple alarm fires within less than 12 hours of each other. The first call came in just after 2:30 am for 127 I St and the second was just before 12:30 pm for 11 Charles St.
More after the break
The fire at 127 I St Box 12-7424 (136 H St) was called in just before 2:30 am in a South Boston neighborhood. The building was a 3 story wood and brick building approximately 60′x120′ with fire showing on the third floor of the building. A second alarm was struck shortly after the start of the incident and Car 6 was in command. Operations took place on BFD Channel 2 (483.1875 DPL-265) and were wrapped up in about an hour. The building itself is on the grounds of Heaven’s Gate Church and formerly served as the convent. At the time of the fire the building was unoccupied, and the fire was contained to the original building.
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The second fire broke out at 11 Charles St box 1534 in the historic Beacon Hill district of the city around 11am. The building, a 4 story brick in a row of buildings had a grocery store on the first floor and apartments above. The grocery store, the infamous “Deluca’s Market” coined to be the oldest grocery store in the country having opened in 1905.
The fire broke out in the basement of the building, and was noticed by a worker getting stock. The store and apartments were safely evacuated and fire crews responded. Crews had difficulty fighting the fire due to the amount of stock in the basement and the narrow access. The tight quarters along with the hot temperatures forced command officers to strike a 4th alarm, bringing over 150 fire fighters to the scene. Although the main body of the fire was quickly knocked down, crews remained on scene chasing hot spots in the flooded basement throughout the evening. The cause of the fire is unknown, however does not appear suspicious and the owner of the market has promised to reopen as soon as possible.
