Thursday, 4:30 PM
Early fires in Revere, Brighton injure 11, leave almost 40 homeless
(Lisa Poole for The Boston Globe )
Fire and building officials in Revere inspected at a triple decker on Campbell Street this morning that was devastated by a three-alarm fire.
By Brian R. Ballou, Globe Staff
Two fires left almost 40 people homeless in Revere and Brighton this morning and sent 11 people to hospitals with minor injuries, fire officials said.
The first blaze tore through a six-family triple decker on Campbell Street in Revere. Firefighters got the call at about 2:30 a.m. and the blaze quickly escalated to a third alarm. The second fire, on Rugg Road in Brighton, broke out just before 3 a.m. in a three story brick building.
In Revere, Deputy Fire Chief Ron Cook said 16 people were evacuated from the building, including nine who were taken to hospitals and treated for smoke inhalation.
Leo Marchese, 39, who lived on the third floor with his wife and two children, woke up just after 2 a.m. He saw smoke rising up through the bathroom floor and spotted flames outside his 10-year-old son's bedroom window.
Marchese woke up his family and escaped out a back stairwell.
"Everything I had was up there," said Marchese, who talked about family photos, baseball and hockey cards, and wedding pictures. "It was all gone in a heartbeat."
Residents said the fire started toward the rear of the building on the second floor.
It took 35 firefighters almost two hours to bring the blaze under control, Cook said. Crews were still at the scene at 9 a.m.
"The building is a total loss, and there is some damage to the house next door," Cook said, adding that the cause remained under investigation.
In Brighton, at least 20 people were left homeless by the fire on Rugg Road, said Boston Fire Department Spokesman Steve MacDonald. Two people were treated for minor burns and a firefighter hurt his knee, he said.
Damage was estimated at $200,000. The cause of the blaze is undetermined, MacDonald said.
