One person dead, at least three missing in Newton blaze
Fire rips through Rte. 9 business complex
By John C. Burke, Boston.com Staff,
and Associated Press, 02/09/00
A Newton man has died and at least three people are missing and feared dead tonight after a spectacular, wind-fanned fire roared through a multi-story commercial complex on Route 9 near the Chestnut Hill Mall in Newton.
Brookline firefighter Kevin Francis crawls down an aerial ladder to help rescue a fire victim Wednesday in Newton.
(Globe Staff Photo/John Tlumacki)
NECN video of sections of building in Newton collapsing as fire spreads
[ Watch it now ]
This video clip is
viewed using RealPlayer.
Get RealPlayer | Help
|
|
|
|
"Right now we have three people that we definitely believe are missing, but it could be as many as five," said Newton District Fire Chief Joe Lacroix. "We have secretaries that cannot find their bosses and bosses that cannot find their employees."
An unknown number of people escaped from the building unharmed.
The building, built in 1959, has been so badly damaged that it is unsafe and a crane will soon start dismantling it. The structure that burned housed the Go Fish restaurant and numerous other businesses and professional offices.
Newton Fire Chief Edward Murphy said because of the dangerous condition of the building firemen will not be allowed to conduct an extensive search until the building is made safe enough to enter and that could take sometime.
Officials said cars of the missing people are still in a nearby parking lot increasing the fear they did not escape the blaze. Firemen have made exterior examinations of the ruins but say there is so much debris they can not view much of the charred structure.
Fire officials said the dead person had been burned in the fire, rescued by firefighters but later suffered a fatal heart attack. The victim was identified as Gerald Kaplan of Newton, an office worker in the building. He died at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
The building was undergoing extensive renovations at the time which were reported to have included work on the roof, installation of a new facade on the front and changes in the electrical system.
City officials said the sprawling building had the potential to have a total of 50 tenants. A furrier, an eyeglass shop, insurance companies and accountants were among the current tenants.
About an hour after the fire broke out a portion of the upper story of the structure collapsed into floors below. The building throughout was damaged either by fire, water or smoke. As the fire spread more and more of the building became structurally unsafe and started to buckle.
At sunset is was a mass of smoldering ruins.
Live television reports from the scene at the height of the fire showed heavy black smoke rolling out of the upper parts of the building as well as flames roaring across the top of the building and shooting out windows.
Dozens of firefighters worked not only to bring the fire under control but also to keep it from spreading to other structures located only a few feet away. Embers flew over a wide area.
There were also a series of minor explosions reported and smoke from the fire was visible for miles.
Five alarms were transmitted for the fire which caused traffic tie-ups on Route 9 and other nearby roads. Police shutdown Route 9 in both directions as hose lines were extended across part of the highway.
Fire companies from several communities have converged on Newton and the actual fire scene. The first alarms came at about 12:20 p.m.
At least a dozen people, including Kaplan, were rescued or removed over ladders by firefighters who themselves had to leave the building for their own safety once rescue operations were completed.
Workers on the roof of the building at the time the fire broke out reported making their way to safety down smoke-filled stairways.
Chief Murphy said the fire appeared to have started in an office on an upper floor. He said there were some indication someone in the building tried to extinguish the fire mad it was not immediately reported.
"By the time our first units arrived it was a very heavy fire condition", Murphy said. "The fire just swept across the building."
One firefighter hurt his back and was taken to Newton-Wellesley Hospital, said Chief Murphy. Two other people were hurt, although the extent of their injuries wasn't immediately known.
WHDH-TV Ch. 7 interviewed a woman who was in the building when the fire broke out and she said it is believed the fire started in a dental office located above Go Fish. It is reported Go Fish began operations only a month ago.
The building's occupants also included a number of small businesses and other professional offices.
The woman interviewed by WHDH-TV expressed concerns over the fact there are many people who work in the building who tomorrow will have no place to work.
The building on Boylston street is built in such a manner that the front of the structure is only two stories and looks like a strip mall with the back of the building, because it is on a slope, being four stories high.
Firefighters worked both from aerial ladders and from the ground. One of the adjoining stores firefighters worked to protect was the Omni supermarket at 200 Boylston street. Also located in the area are stores occupied by Barnes & Noble and Milton's.
